


Dance to the Beat of my Heart

by MysticEmerald (feelskilledthefangirl)



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Boy Band, Anxious Katsuki Yuuri, Boyband, Do not post to other sites, Drunk Katsuki Yuuri, Drunken Flirting, Flirting, Fluff, M/M, More tags to be added, Music, Sad Katsuki Yuuri, Slow Burn, Supportive Victor Nikiforov, Underage Drinking, Victor Nikiforov is Extra
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-09-15
Updated: 2019-11-18
Packaged: 2020-10-19 06:58:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 62,063
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20653067
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/feelskilledthefangirl/pseuds/MysticEmerald
Summary: Victor has had a crush on Yuuri Katsuki ever since his boyband had their huge breakthrough three years ago. He knows every song lyric, has seen every video and interview and last year he even got to go to their concert and scream along to every song until he lost his voice. He had dreamt of meeting Yuuri thousands of times, he has just not expected it to happen at his job as a receptionist for one of the cities luxuries hotels when the band came back for yet another concert.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Linisen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Linisen/gifts).

> This was for the Victuuri Summer Lovin' Gift Exchange on Tumblr as a gift to the lovely author Linisen! Lemme just say that this was both a challenge and a delight to write! This monster of a story became the opposite of everything I expected to be but damn it has been fun! I hope you enjoy it!
> 
> (Also, shout out to Linisen for their well written prompt summary, god only knows that I can't make summaries that sound even half as good as theirs)
> 
> \- Unbeta'd, all errors are my own -

_“So, boys, we’ve heard rumors through the grapevine that the four of you are going to start work on your third album soon. Can you confirm those rumors, we are all dying to know?”_

_“Why yes, Aubrey, you have heard right,” Phichit Chulanont replied with a knowing smile, easily wooing the female interviewer and making her blush. “We do have something in the works for our next album.”_

_“Well, I know all your fans across the interwebs will be just as thrilled to hear that as I am.” Aubrey gushed, a brilliant smile showing off her unnaturally white teeth. “Now, I’ve got to ask, what will be the general theme for this album? Yuuri, we all know that you’re the biggest contributor when it comes to writing the songs for the band. Any word from you on this subject?”_

_Yuuri Katsuki looked momentarily surprised, caught off guard as the focus of the question was directed at him. With a quick blink and subtle shifting motion in his seat, the shocked expression melted away and into a gentle smile. He seemed a little out of character, normally Yuuri was quick on his feet during interviews and was rarely caught off guard._

_“Well, we’re still working on that particular aspect of the album, to be honest with you,” Yuuri admitted sheepishly. “So, right now we’re just toying with different ideas until we find something that feels right.”_

_Aubrey nodded in acknowledgment then barreled on with her questions. “Speaking of what feels right, the last album you guys released ended up leaving fans with… mixed feelings. There was quite a bit of backlash over a couple of tracks that were composed, most of them being ones that you specifically wrote Mr. Katsuki. Many have stated that some of your songs seemed to be… I dunno, lacking the normal spark of brilliance that we’ve come to expect from On Love,” Aubrey tucked a piece of hair behind her ear, looking directly at Yuuri as she spoke. “Some have even gone as far as to say that it feels as if you have lost your passion and inspiration for songwriting. Would you say that’s true?”_

_Yuuri smiled at the interviewer, though it looked a little forced. Around him, Yuuri’s bandmates seemed a little tenser than they had just moments before. They let the silence drag on just a beat too long before Yuuri spoke up again, his normal charm and appeal returning in a sudden rush._

_“Well, you see, for our last album we all agreed that we wanted to… experiment with our sound a bit. Each of us had a little piece to contribute so we could figure out what worked and what didn’t. And as the feedback reveals, some of those experiments went well, while others…” Yuuri paused to chuckle softly, eyes hooded as his tongue darting out to swipe at his lower lip. “Will be laid to rest.”_

_Aubrey giggled a little at Yuuri’s response and said, “Well, fair enough. I suppose every band has to go through growing pains before a true masterpiece can be born. I know are all eagerly waiting to see what you boys will come up with next.”_

_“Don’t worry,” Phichit interjected, winking slyly at Aubrey as he said, “We’re going to blow out next album out of the water. The music world won’t know what the hell hit them.”_

* * *

Victor Nikiforov’s eyes were glued to his screen, watching the interview with rapt attention. He could no longer hide his smile at hearing the news that _On Love_ was planning to make yet another album. Victor just couldn’t get enough of their music and he knew he’d be one of the millions of people counting down the days until the album's release. Victor could hardly wait!

“What do you look so damn happy about,” someone beside him growled.

Instinctively, Victor jumped, fingers scrambling to shut off his phone screen as he tugged the single headphone bud that he’d been trying to hide from his ear as he attempted to conceal the evidence. He turned quickly to see his friend and coworker Yuri Plisetsky watching him from nearby, his usual dark scowl pulling at the corners of his mouth.

“Yuri!” Victor exclaimed, smilingly brightly as he tried to play off his surprise. “So wonderful for you to join me.”

Yuri scoffed and rolled his eyes moving closer to Victor behind the counter. “Judging by your guilty look I’d say you were watching some video about that lame boy band again, da?”

“They’re not lame,” Victor said, pouting just a little too dramatically. He couldn’t deny the truth, Yuri would just see right through him.

“Well, I wouldn’t call that garbage they make ‘_music’_,” he sneered back with no real bite behind the words. “You’re just lucky that it wasn’t Yakov who caught you slacking off on the job again.”

Victor hummed noncommittally and then sighed, tucking his phone and headphones back into the pocket of his black slacks. He really didn’t feel like getting screamed at by his boss, Yakov Feltsman, today.

Yakov was a well-known businessman who had a strong reputation and connections with people throughout the business industry and the professional world. He owned a world-renowned, five-star hotel called the Royal Summit Resort & Spa where Victor and Yuri both worked. People all across the world came to Moscow just to stay in Yakov’s fancy overpriced hotel and there was always plenty of foot traffic coming in and out of the resort throughout the day. Victor worked as a receptionist in the hotel so he was in charge of greeting guests, checking them into rooms, providing room service and helping to ensure that the customer received the best experience possible. It was a dreadfully dull job if Victor was being honest with himself, but it paid well and he had actually met a few pretty cool famous people while on the clock. This certainly wasn’t his forever job, but right now, Victor knew that this was the only way he would be able to get solid job experience while also working to pay off all his student loans. At 23 Victor expected to have had all his school expense paid off, but unfortunately, life doesn’t like to be so simple so Victor still had quite a long way to go.

Though the job was usually very fast-paced and active, there were occasionally brief lulls in the day when the foot traffic slowed down tremendously, giving Victor a few blissful moments to mess around on his phone. In the evenings, is when things really started to slow down. There were far fewer people who checked in later in the evening so Victor that gave him far more time to fuck around on his phone. When not on his phone, Victor usually spent most of his time taking towels and fresh toiletries up to hotel rooms as requests came in from patrons. As long as none of his bosses or managers caught him goofing off, then everything was fine and no harm was done.

Victor gave Yuri a bored stare as he gestured to the mostly empty lobby in front of them and said, “I mean, what is there to do? It's slow right now and Yakov isn’t anywhere near the lobby. I didn’t expect the kitten to come in and try to scare the hell out of me.”

“You’re a hopeless cause Victor,” Yuri huffed as he shook his head in disappointment. “I dunno why they haven’t fired your ass yet.”

“I could say the same for you,” Victor shot back with a small smirk. “At least I don’t scowl at everyone I talk to.”

Yuri narrowed his eyes at Victor, his scowl deepening ever so slightly much to Victor’s amusement. “Well, no one asked you old man. We both know that I don’t give a fuck about what people think of me.”

Victor just shrugged and turned towards his computer to make sure that no urgent messages had come through. Sometimes people liked to book last-minute registrations or call in last-minute canalization that their staff has to adjust to accordingly.

In Yuri’s early teenage years, comments like that would have really hit a nerve and made the boy start screaming and throwing a fit. As he got older however and his hormones finally started to chill out again, Yuri became a little calmer. Here, at nineteen, Yuri was still the same crass, grumpy, and impatient person he’d always been, but now there was a lot less yelling and he was a little more reasonable overall. Victor was glad that Yuri had finally gotten a handle on his anger and didn’t scream nearly as much as he once had.

“So, what brings you out of the kitchen?” Victor asked conversationally.

Yuri worked in the hotel's kitchens as one of the chefs and he was damn good at it too, best in the whole building, maybe even in the whole of Moscow if Victor was being honest. His sharp, bristly personality made it impossible to put Yuri anywhere around the guests but it made him well suited to work in the kitchens. That way, he was far away from anyone aside from their fellow employees while still getting to work somewhere that allowed him to do what he loved, _cooking_. Victor suspected that Yuri preferred things this way though he never said it out loud.

“Got bored,” he shrugged as leaned his back against the counter. “It’s between meals so I ducked out for a little while. It the only way to keep me from strangling that asshole JJ. He’s the only server here for lunch shift today so he keeps coming into the kitchens.”

Victor snickered. JJ was one of the few people in the kitchens who actually did get on Yuri’s nerves. Most of the people just mildly irritated Yuri, but JJ never failed to get the boy fired up over nothing. All JJ had to do was walk in the room for Yuri’s mood to visibly shift in a negative direction. Yakov tried his hardest not to schedule Yuri and JJ for the same shifts so they could keep the peace in the kitchen and dining areas. When that failed, JJ generally had strict orders to stay out of the kitchen, not that he always listened, but what else could they do? Even when Yuri didn’t have to see JJ he never failed to complain about how obnoxious and self-centered the man was. Though Victor secretly agreed that Yuri’s complaints were completely justified.

“Hmm… yeah, strangling a coworker might get you fired. Maybe some jail time too,” Victor teased.

Yuri snorted, “Smartass.”

“Hey, so since you’re here,” Victor started, giving Yuri a sly smirk. “Do you want to hear the latest news about _On Love?_”

“Oh god, I’m leaving,” Yuri griped as he pushed off the counter. “I thought going to that concert with you last year would have broken you of this obsession. Instead, it did the opposite.”

“No, wait, don’t go Yuratchka,” Victor pleaded. “It’s boring out here and I want someone to keep me company.”

“Don’t call me that,” Yuri snapped. Victor could tell that there was no real heat behind the words though since Yuri came back to lean against the counter. Either that or he must be really that tired of seeing JJ. “You’ve got 30 seconds so talk fast.”

Victor beamed, thrilled at his victory. “They’re coming out with another album!” he exclaimed excitedly.

“O Bože, I hope it’s better than the trash that they had on their last album,” Yuri groaned.

“Hey, I thought it was pretty good!” Victor protested with a pout.

“Well that’s because you’re blind and stupidly in love with one of the singers,” Yuri retorted. “I’m sure you’d still adore them even if they made a song about killing puppies or some shit like that.”

“Yuri, that’s awful!” Victor balked, looking at the blond with wide eyes. “I would certainly _not_ support them if they made a song like that! But I know that _On Love _would never do that!”

“Like I said, blinded by love,” Yuri mused with a shrug. “The last album you showed me just felt a little… lackluster, I guess. It just sounded like they’d lost their inspiration.”

Victor thought back to the interview he had been watching before Yuri had interrupted him. It seemed like a lot of people had problems with their previous album. Victor knew that they had gotten a bit of a backlash from fans, but honestly, it wasn’t bad. Yes, some of the songs were a little outside their normal style but none of them had been bad! A few of them had felt really sad and distant, but still, they weren’t bad like everyone was claiming them to be.

“I just hope for your sake that the band isn’t about to fall apart,” Yuri continued when Victor stayed silent.

“What do you mean?” He asked.

Yuri shrugged, “I mean, on average, boybands don’t usually last longer than three or four years, maybe five if they're lucky. What is this, their third year or fame? Fourth? Either way, they’ll get too old to keep up appearances or their fanbase will grow too old for them.”

“How do you figure, all of them are basically my age.”

“Well, you’re not really their target audience, now are you?” Yuri snickered with a smug little smirk. “Their main audience is young girls ages 13-17, while you’re just the idiot who fell for someone with a pretty face and autotuned voice.”

“They are not autotuned!” Victor huffed.

Victor could see the smug smile curling at the corner of Yuri’s lips and new Yuri was just trying to rile him up. Even now, Yuri could still be quite a pain in the ass.

Yuri was about to respond when a female voice interrupted their conversation.

“I’m sure whatever the two of you are discussing is ever so riveting,” Mila Babicheva interjected, her dark red hair bouncing as she approached, a quirk of amusement pulling at her brow. “But Yuri is needed back in the kitchens to keep JJ from breaking stuff with his overinflated ego. The kitchens are uncontrollable without you there and Victor, you have a request to take up fresh towels to room a room on the twelfth floor. I can cover the desk.”

Both boys groaned in harmony, briefly forgetting that they had actual work that needed to be conducted. Thank goodness no one had come to the counter to try and check-in.

“Sorry boys, I can’t have the boss on my ass for your laziness,” she chuckled.

“Just because you’re our supervisor doesn’t mean you can tell us to do whatever you want,” Yuri grumbled, giving Mila a sour look. “We all know you’re just bossing us around so it looks like you’re doing something, ya old hag.”

“Actually, as a supervisor, I do believe that I have the authority to tell you both what to do,” she chortled, reaching out to tousle Yuri’s hair. “That’s kind of in the job title. I’ve got to _supervise _the babies so they don’t try to slack off.”

“Get your filthy hands off of me,” Yuri griped, trying and failing to duck out of her arms reach. Mila was too quick for him though and his hair stood up funny in a few places.

Yuri started grumbling under his breath, quickly trying to fix his hair without a mirror. It only made things marginally better.

“You love me and you know it,” she called as Yuri turned and stopped off toward the bathrooms instead of to the kitchens.

Yuri simply lifted his hand and flipped her the bird. Victor hoped for Yuri’s sake that the security cameras had not caught his action.

“You ruin all the fun,” Victor teased Mila as he grabbed a small stack of fresh towels from their supply closet.

“Life can’t always be fun,” she hummed with a shrug, taking over Victor’s spot at the front desk.

“I suppose not,” Victor sighed dramatically. “So where am I taking these again?”

“Room 209 on the twelfth floor.”

“The Twelfth-floor?” Victor protested, pausing to give Mila an exasperated expression.

“Hey, people up on the top floor need things too,” Mila shrugged.

“Someone needs to hurry up and invent a teleporter,” Victor complained. “The staff elevator is too damn slow.”

“Have fun,” Mila called mockingly after him, waving to his back as Victor made his way toward the slow employee ass elevator to take towels all the way to the top of the building.

* * *

By the end of the day, Victor was exhausted. After Mila had sent him to deliver towels to the twelfth floor, things had picked up. Victor found himself running left and right throughout the hotel taking things to people’s rooms, checking them in and helping to escort luggage to or from various locations. Victor was glad he was in good shape because all this running back and forth was one hell of a workout. All he wanted to do now was go home, take his adorable poodle Makkachin on a _very _quick walk, make something to eat and go to sleep.

Victor sighed in relief when it was finally time to clock out for the day. He waved to Mila, wishing her a good evening as he grabbed his things and walked towards the employee entrance. She was still on the clock for another two hours. Victor almost felt bad for her, but his aching feet reminded him of why he didn’t feel _too _bad for his sassy redheaded supervisor.

The moment Victor made it to the employee parking lot, Victor felt a weight lift off his shoulder. He fished the keys to his ancient Honda Civic out of his pocket and quickly unlocked the car and clambered inside. His car was old enough that it still had a cassette player in it, but it had always been good to him, getting him from point A to point B with no trouble. Eventually, he would save up to buy something newer, but for now, this car served him just fine.

As he cranked up his car, Victor took a moment to connect his phone to the Aux cord so he could turn on his favorite _On Love _playlist. Once the music started to play through his speakers, Victor was ready to head off the short fifteen-minute drive back to his apartment.

Victor had come across this band about three and a half years ago, just before they hit the big leagues. He had been jumping through videos one evening on VideoTube, falling into one of those random foxholes where you start off watching videos of cute puppies and end up on a video explaining the dark, hidden meaning behind old kids shows on Nickelodeon when he stumbled across _On Love’s_ music_. _One of their songs had appeared in his suggested list and caught his eye. Victor wasn’t sure what it exactly it was that made him click on the video, but something about it intrigued him. Maybe it had been curiosity or even just boredom plain and simple. Whatever it had prompted Victor to click on that, effectively changed the course of his life forever. The video itself anything to write home about. It had been filmed in a dingey campus recording studio on a shitty camera in the middle of the night. The lighting in the room had been awful and even the sound quality was trash, but the spirit and heart that the group possessed plain to see. It was that, which had drawn Victor in so completely. The group was comprised of four boys, who seemed to all radiate with the same energy as they sang and danced their hearts out. In the video description, it said that group composed and recorded all of their own songs then developed their own choreography to go along with each piece. Victor had been awestruck by the sheer talent that the four of them possessed as he didn’t have a musical bone in his body.

As soon as the video was over, Victor had subscribed to their channel, which only had a couple of hundred followers at the time and he turned on post notifications so he’d know when they posted next. He had also watched the other six videos that the group had uploaded, falling in love more and more with each one he watched. As he watched, one member, in particular, continually captured Victor's attention (and his heart) again and again.

_On Love_ had been nothing more than a no-name group of college students who enjoyed dancing and composing music in their spare time. They were certainly an odd collection of students, but somehow, it still seemed to work.

Six months after that, the group had been discovered by a scouter after performing live at a club not far from their college campus in Detroit. The band members, Yuuri Katsuki, Phichit Chulanont, Otabek Altin, and Kenjirou Minami had all been offered the chance to fly out to LA and meet some of the producers of Grand Prix Records to do some recording with the studio. And as they say, the rest is history. The band was taken on by one of the biggest names in the music industry, Celestino Cialdini.

After that, _On Love_ took the world by storm, stealing the hearts of every young boy and girl across the nation. Their popularity grew so quickly that even people outside the United States were clamoring about the sensational Boy Band group from Detroit. It was impossible to escape from the overwhelming impact that the four young boys made on the world. This group was changing the face of the music industry, setting themselves apart from other boybands by choosing to continue writing their own music and developing their own choreography. Most boy bands just sang and danced along to prewritten songs and precomposed dances, but not _On Love. _They were special, they wanted to set themselves apart and become something spectacular. Their music was powerful enough to give others hope and inspire people to work toward being the best and brightest.

Victor was drawn to the magic and the power that _On Love _displayed. As their fame grew, the band re-recorded the same song that Victor had first discovered and it quickly became their most popular single. The song had been called, ‘History Maker’ and that’s what the group had been doing ever since. Their song claiming the number one spot on the charts for a record-breaking 16 straight weeks after it came out. Their VideoTube follower count jumped into the millions seemingly overnight and Victor was still in love, captivated by the band. They’d even been commissioned to compose some songs the movie ‘The Skater and the King’ as well as its sequel when that was produced the following year.

The one thing that hadn’t changed after the band had achieved fame, was Victor. He still had a weakness for one specific member of the band. Since that very first video Victor watched, his eyes had been glued to Yuuri Katsuki, the dark-haired Asian man with eyes the color of melting chocolate. His soft, round face screamed of innocence while his seductive dancing and charming personality suggested something far more lude. Yuuri Katsuki was the pure embodiment of Eros and all Victor wanted to do was capture the boy by the cheeks and smatter his skin with an endless collection of kisses. Sure, the other members of _On Love _were attractive, but there was just something about Yuuri that made Victor long for more. He would give just about anything to meet the man in person. Though, if he was being honest with himself, he’d probably just freak out and make himself look stupid.

Last year, he had been able to save up enough to see them live and it had been the best day of his life. He hadn’t been able to afford much more than nosebleed seats, but hearing and seeing _On Love _perform live was a life-changing experience. Despite that, Victor still wanted more. He felt like one of those weird fanboy stalkers but he just couldn’t quell his obsession no matter how hard he tried.

His friends all found his obsession rather amusing and they made sure to tease him about it on a nearly daily basis, but Victor didn’t really mind all that much. He knew that they all secretly enjoyed at least a couple of _On Love’s_ songs even if some of them (Yuri specifically) refused to acknowledge it. Victor wasn’t blind, he’d seen Yuri singing along once or twice when they’d gone to the concert, though the boy refused to admit to a thing. As long as his obsession wasn’t hurting anyone everything was fine. Everyone should have something they feel passionate about, even if that passion was regarding a certain boyband with songs geared to towards pleasing the teenage girl population.

As Victor pulled into the parking lot of his apartment complex, he smirked a little as he spotted the bright pink Mustang convertible that belonged to his ever-eccentric roommate. Victor never failed to laugh at the sight of his friend's obnoxiously unmissable car. Christophe Giacometti was in simple terms, very extravagant and made sure that most aspects of his life reflected that. He worked for a well-known modeling agency in Moscow and has been becoming quite a popular and highly sought-after model in recent weeks.

Victor was thankful that despite his friend's success, Chris still chose to share an apartment with him rather than going off to buy his own lavish bachelor pad in the heart of the city. He knew that Chris could easily afford to do so, but he stayed for Victor’s sake. Victor felt a little guilty for holding his friend back, but Chris constantly assured him that he preferred sharing a space with his best friend. He claimed that a bachelor pad would be far too empty and lonely for his tastes.

In the past, Chris had offered to get Victor various jobs within the same modeling agency as a model, but Victor really didn’t want to see his face plastered all across the covers of grocery store magazines. He had tried it once after some persuading from Chris but decided that modeling just wasn’t his calling. Victor couldn’t deny that the photos had come out phenomenal, and yes, the check he’d received had helped pay off a decent chunk of his student loans, but everything about the industry just seemed fake. He had loved all the attention he received and the fancy clothing he’d gotten to wear along with the killer job his makeup artist had done, but Victor came to the conclusion that he didn’t want all the airbrushed fakeness and heavy expectations that came along with fame. He much preferred looking in from the outside, hearing the second-hand stories from Chris rather than living through them himself. He just couldn’t see himself living that kind of life.

As Victor unlocked the door to their apartment, he heard the telltale sound of Makkachin’s feet skittering across the hardwood floor, ready to eagerly greet him as he walked in. By the time he pushed open the door, she was already waiting for him, tail wagging in excitement, and begging to be pet, fed and walked, preferably in that order.

“Hey Makka,” Victor cooed, shutting the door with his foot and crouching down to scratch Makka behind her ears. “Did you miss me, sweetheart?”

Makka yipped softly, smattering Victor’s face with kisses as if to show him just how much she missed him. Victor laughed and turned his head, trying to keep her away from his mouth as she managed to layer his skin with dog slobber.

“Why hello darling,” Christophe called to him, peaking his head out of the kitchen briefly. “I grabbed takeout if you’re interested.”

Victor’s stomach growled in approval, the smell of pizza reaching his nose and making his mouth water.

“Chris, what would I do without you,” Victor hummed in delight. He really hadn’t been in the mood to try and cook and he was glad Chris had thought ahead.

Chris shrugged, “Crash and burn, probably.”

Victor laughed, nodding in agreement as he said, “Yeah you’re probably right.”

“How was work today?” Chris asked as Victor stood wiping off his face before joining Chris in the kitchen, Makkachin close on his heels. “Meet anyone famous?”

“No one worth bragging about,” Victor hummed conversationally. “It was pretty busy today so I didn’t have much time to linger around, to be honest with you. What about you, how’d your poolside shoot go today?”

“Oh, it was just marvelous,” Chris gushed. “I can assure you that the suits I wore today will be the next big thing once they’re put on the market. They were absolutely divine.”

“You sure they aren’t going to become popular just because you’re the one wearing them?” Victor teased lightly. “Because the last few suits, they had you wear were quite hideous, though you still managed to pull them off.”

Chris waved a hand at him dismissively and passed him a paper plate. “The important thing is that I am able to make the suits look dashing. It’s up to society to decide if they can pull it off as well. All you need is a little confidence to make something work darling.”

Victor shot Chris an apprehensive look as he grabbed one of the pizza boxes and moved it over to the table. “I’m not so sure about that one Chris,” he commented. “There are some things that I’m not sure even you could pull off, confidence or not.”

“Don’t underestimate me,” Chris warned him with a wink as he opened the pizza box and grabbed a slice of pepperoni and drop it onto his plate.

“I’m sure if I tried hard enough, I could find something so exuberant and flamboyant that not even you’d be able to make it look good.”

Chris snorted in amusement and said, “If you manage to find something that hideous, I will personally throw a celebration and wear the outfit for the whole world to see. Hell, I’d even try to see if I could get _On Love _to perform live for you.”

Victor laughed, eyes scrunching in delight and at his friend's outrageous statement. He knew that even with Chris’s level of success in the modeling industry, hiring a band as popular as _On Love_ for a private event was more of a fantasy than a reality. That just went to show just how certain Chris was about his (undeniably stunning) good looks.

“I’ll be sure to hold you to that promise then,” Victor teased. “It might take my whole life, but I _will_ find something that hideous, just you wait.”

“I look forward to that day, darling,” Chris replied, taking a bite of his pizza as he did. “Speaking of _On Love,” _Chris mused, chewing slowly. “I saw a video of them dancing the other day. Based on what I saw, I’m pretty sure that cute Asian boy you fawn over knows a thing or two about pole dancing.”

“What?” Victor spluttered, caught off guard by the direction that the conversation had gone. Victor felt his cheeks heat up but he chose not to acknowledge that fact. The very thought of Yuuri pole dancing was enough to Victor’s brain turn to mush. “I… I mean, what gave you that impression?” he knew his voice sounded strained as he spoke.

Chris snickered wickedly, knowing just how this topic of conversation was affecting Victor. Thankfully, Makkachin chose that moment to let out a soft bark, interrupting the conversation to make sure that she hadn’t been forgotten.

“Oh, I am so sorry baby,” Victor crooned. “I didn’t forget about you darling.”

He picked a piece of pepperoni off of his pizza and gave it to Makka, who eagerly gobbled down the treat.

Much to Victor’s relief, Chris let the conversation drop as they moved towards lighter topics of discussion. They talked aimlessly about nothing in particular, swapping stories about their days, and eating more of the pizza than they probably should have consumed in one sitting but neither man particularly cared.

Once they finished and cleaned everything up, Chris went off to take a shower while Victor took Makka on a quick walk around the apartment complex.

As Makka happily trotted ahead of him, sniffing everything she could, Victor couldn’t stop himself from picturing Yuuri pole dancing just for him.

* * *

Victor had barely been outside for five minutes when his feet started to ache. Internally Victor groaned, cursing his body for betraying him this way. Standing all day and running about the hotel always left his feet feeling achy and overused. He really needed to start trying to take better care of himself before he ended up with lasting damage to his body as he certainly wasn’t getting any younger.

Victor had a tendency to work himself into exhaustion, typically taking only one day off a week from work on top of scheduling himself for inconsistent shifts throughout the week. When he did take time off or had personal time, Victor liked to go to the skating rink to clear his mind or go window shopping in the city with his friends. He just didn’t know how to sit down, and stay inside for a day to recharge his batters. No matter how much free time Victor had, he felt like he started each new week feeling more and more exhausted. Victor knew that it was only a matter of time before he ran himself into the ground. He’d been the same way throughout college too. Victor would work himself too hard throughout the week and party hard on the weekends, never take time to recover until he had a break down during finals week or near the end of the semester. It was an unhealthy habit Victor knew, but the cycle was a vicious one to break.

Throughout college, Chris always tried to tell him to slow down, but Victor never listened. He wasn’t very good at following directions or listening to people who tried to tell him what to do. Even now, Chris got on his ass about his lack of downtime and Victor continued to ignore it. Mila had even started to pester Victor about his schedule at work, but Victor brushed off her concerns as well. He always assured both of them that he was perfectly fine, knowing deep down that it was a lie. Inside, Victor just felt hollow and empty. He was good at putting on the mask, acting as if everything was okay, but really, Victor had no idea what he was doing.

When it came down to it, Victor didn’t have any real goals or dreams for the future. He’d earned a bachelor’s degree in Management but had no idea what to do with the degree after he graduated. Most days he wasn’t even sure why he’d chosen to be a Business Major; the subject had been only mildly interesting to him and he hadn’t really gone in with a game plan. Victor had hoped that things would just start to click in college but they never did. By the time he’d graduated, Victor had been just as lost as he’d been when he was starting out. The only difference now was that he had a lot more debt than when he started.

Even as a child Victor never knew what he wanted to do with his life and he’d never really had parents to guide him. He’d grown up in the foster care system, never knowing or caring about who his real parents were. Nothing in his life had ever been stable as he was passed from home to home, moving through the system until he was finally old enough to be on his own.

Because of this, Victor hadn’t had many friends either. He stopped seeing the point of making friends after a while because he always ended up leaving. After he started college, he met Christophe and things started to change. Chris was pretty much his oldest friend and that was only because the guy had been a clingy bastard in college refused to leave Victor alone (not that he really minded). He still struggled to make lasting connections with people even now, Victor was doing the best he could. Additionally, having Mila and Yuri as friends also helped Victor socialize more and pull him out of his shell rather than allowing him to close off completely from everyone.

Mila was bright and bubbly, her sarcasm and whit never failed to leave Victor rolling, stomach hurting from laughing too much. She was just easy to be around and he appreciated her company. Victor had rarely seen her without a smile on her face and she loved to gush about her stunning and kind girlfriend Sara, who occasionally worked the front desk with Victor. Mila was the kind of friend who didn’t need to have constant conversation in order to be happy. While their banter was always enjoyable, they could just as easily sit in comfortable silence for hours. Mila just seemed to get him and was always able to pull him out of a stupor without even realizing it. Victor was very grateful to have her in his life, even if she could be a pain in the ass from time to time.

Yuri was a little different. Like Victor, he too had been raised in the foster care system. In fact, they had even ended up at the same halfway houses from time to time as they grew up. Despite that, the two of them rarely interacted in the home. Yuri had been so much younger than him at the time and he seemed to have a rather off-putting personality. It had been easier to just avoid the boy altogether due to his wild, unpredictable bouts of rage and anger. Victor watched as Yuri moved from home to home far more frequently than Victor had and he couldn’t help but feel a little sorry for the boy. The other boys in the home often whispered about how Yuri’s mother had been a neglectful drug addict who overdosed when Yuri was three. There had been no other family to take him in which is why the boy had ended up here. As he got older, Victor learned that these rumors had been true. It explained why he always held so much pain and resentment in that tiny body. Victor remembered witnessing a few of the shouting matches the fiery blond had got into when he heard people talking about his mom. It didn’t take much to get him going, which made him a rather easy target. When Victor was finally old enough to leave the home to live on his own, he figured that would be the last he’d see of the poor boy.

When the two of them had run into one another again four years later ay the Royal Summit Resort & Spa, he almost didn’t recognize Yuri. The boy had let his hair grow out to his shoulders, distantly resembling something akin to the way Victor himself had worn during his time at the home. He’d gotten taller too, his slender body lengthening becoming gangly and stalky, voice deepening and becoming less childlike, just hitting the start of puberty. However, the one thing hadn’t changed, were his eyes. Yuri’s striking green eyes were just as recognizable now as they surprised when he’d run into the boy again after graduating from college.

At first, they didn’t see each other much because Yuri was sixteen and could only work part-time. Honestly, they hadn’t even spoken for the first few months, Yuri would just sneer at him in silence every time their paths crossed. Victor never tried to approach the boy, clearly remembering his behavior in the home. Things had just been easier that way. Eventually, Yuri snapped and finally approached Victor to yell at him angrily.

Yuri had accused him of being a dirty liar and an awful human being, which had confused Victor to no end. When he’d finally been able to get a word in, Victor had asked the boy what he was talking about.

Apparently, during one of their rare conversations at the home, Victor had promised that the two of them would stick together throughout the shittiness of the foster care system and be there for each other. He was sure that Yuri was telling the truth it had probably been one of the nights he’d been able to get a hold of some alcohol. Victor had the tendency to be a very introspective and touchy drunk who liked to overshare. If he had been wasted when the conversation took place, it would also explain why he had forgotten so he really couldn’t be blamed for forgetting the details.

After confronting him, however, Yuri seemed to calm down, begrudgingly accepting Victor apology. Yuri started talking to him more and hang out with during his lunch breaks. He supposed that ‘friends’ wasn’t exactly the right way to describe their relationship, but Victory really didn’t know what else to call it. Since they both grew up in the system, the had an understanding for one another that no one else did and were able to support each other almost like a patchwork family of sorts. Regardless of _what_ they were to one another, Victor still valued their relationship and he was sure that Yuri did too.

Despite the company and companionship of his friends, Victor still couldn’t seem to fill the dark, empty void in his chest. When he stopped to think about his life and what he had, Victor realized just how little he had and what little meaning his life held. He’d constantly struggled to understand who he was and struggled to find meaning to his existence. All he really had was a useless degree, a dog he adored, a shared apartment filled with items that held no sentimental value to him, and an unhealthy obsession for a band he’d never meet. Even his room was plain and empty, almost no personal items indicating that it was anything more than a guest room. Aside from single _On Love _poster he’d purchased at the concert he attended last year and a few pictures of Makkachin, there was nothing there, _no personality whatsoever_. It looked just as cold and hollow as Victor’s heart. It was rather fitting he supposed, almost poetic in a depressing way.

If he was being honest with himself, this aching sense of loneliness was part of why he kept himself so busy. When he stayed busy, he had to live in the moment and didn’t have the time to think about how lost he felt. If he was surrounded by high levels of activity and noise, he didn’t have time to sit there and wallow in his own self-pity. That’s why it was so easy to hide the darkness away from his friends. When he was busy, he could at least uphold the appearance of happiness to keep his friends’ minds at ease.

Victor suspected that Chris was more aware of this darkness inside of him than he let on, but thankfully he didn’t bring it up. The two of them had lived together for so long now, that they could generally tell when something was amiss. He knew that Chris would be there if he wanted to talk about anything, and that alone was enough for Victor. There was no need to burden or worry Chris with his dark thoughts, so managed them alone.

The only thing that Victor found could truly stop the taunting voices in his own mind was stepping onto the ice. From a young age, Victor had loved ice skating and he’d tried his best to follow the skaters when he was able to briefly win control of the remote. Then, not long after he’d turned eight, he had been taken in by a new caregiver named Tanya who had noticed his love of the ice and took him skating for the first time. She was a nice older woman and he’d been able to stay with her for almost a year and a half, the longest Victor had ever stayed in one place while in the system. In her youth, Tanya had been a skating coach for young children and she taught Victor much of the basics during their short time together.

He’d fallen even more in love with the sport after he’d strapped those blades onto his feet the first time. Tanya had even bought him his first set of skates, which he eventually grew out of. For a while, Victor hoped that he’d found his forever home with her. However, before he knew it, Victor found himself back at the center again as his Tonya fell dreadfully ill. Victor still remembered how she had wept as she told him that he would have to go back there again. His caregiver had been truly fond of him. Victor would even go as far as to say that she’d even loved him as her own, but her illness was serious enough to put her in the hospital and rendered her incapable of caring for him any longer.

Even after he’d moved on to other families, Victor never forgot Tonya or her kindness as he continued to skate when he could. Victor never did find out what became of her, but still to this day, Victor made sure he skated in a way that would have made Tonya proud. 

His short time with Tonya had lit a fire beneath Victor. He loved the sport so much that he’d actually started dreaming of going pro when he was younger. He’d stayed up many a night in his youth, wishing on stars and praying to a God who never answered begging for a forever home that would allow him the opportunity to skate professionally. Victor was sure that he would have been able to become a legend in the sport if only he’d been afforded the opportunity. Unfortunately, those dreams remained just that, just the silly whim of a small, bright-eyed child. Skating lessons were expensive, professional trainers even more so and none of his foster families moving forward had been willing to shell out that kind of money for him, not that he’d blame them. Most of them grew tired of him and would eventually send him away again.

Now at 24, Victor was too old to be joining the leagues of younger skaters who had dreams of going pro. They had far more skill and experience than him, not to mention that their bodies were more forgiving than his was now. That didn’t stop him from stepping out onto the ice and skating his heart when he had some time to spare. Victor just wished that things had been a little bit different when he was younger.

Fortunately, there was a cozy little rink close to his complex. When he skated, Victor would usually put in his headphones and let his body do all the talking for him. It was a way for him to relax and destress. He even liked to attempt some of the easier jumps and moves that he had seen the skaters in competitions perform, though his jumps weren’t nearly as clean. 

With music streaming through his headphones, Victor would choreograph short routines to the music, letting all his feelings show through with his movements. When he listened to On Love while he skated, Victor could feel the passion in their music actually flow through him. The feeling was beyond anything he’d ever experienced before. This was the only thing that really kept Victor from falling apart. The ice allowed Victor to fly and let him escape from reality, if only just for a few moments. Sometimes, Yuri would even join him out on the ice. It was nice to have some company out on the ice every once and a while, even if Yuri mocked him the whole time. Victor knew that the mocking was out of love.

It had been about a week since he’d last gotten the chance to skate. He really needed to take some time off to go. There was an itching pulling at him from just beneath the surface, urging him to go.

‘_Maybe I’ll go tomorrow,’_ he thought to himself aimlessly, letting Makka start to lead them back to the apartment complex.

Lost in his thoughts, Victor hadn’t even noticed the darkening of the sky. This is why alone time was such a dangerous thing. Time passed him by him without notice. Makka must be tired if she was taking them back. When Victor glanced at his watch, he realized that they had been walking for nearly twenty minutes now and now it would another twenty to get back. Only now did Victor register just how tired he was. All he wanted to do was close his eyes and sleep, right where he stood. The insistent tugging on the leash reminding Victor why he had to keep moving forward.

When they finally made back to the complex parking lot, Victor’s phone started going off, the ringtone playing the once-popular American Song, [“I’m too Sexy” ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P5mtclwloEQ). Victor couldn’t hide his smirk tugged at the corner of his lips every time he heard this song play. The very first time he’d heard the song, Victor was sure that the band had Christophe in mind when they wrote the lyrics. So of course, he immediately set it as the ringtone for his flamboyant friend, much to Chris’ great delight.

Victor dug the phone out of his pocket as he and Makka climbed the stairs.

“Da?” Victor said, forgoing an actual greeting as he answered.

“Victor darling, are you still out with Makka? It’s getting dark out,” Chris mused a note of concern in his voice.

“Worried that someone is going to snatch me up?” Victor chuckled.

“With a face like that? Who wouldn’t want to snatch you up?”

Victor laughed, tucking the phone between his shoulder and ear as he started to fish for his keys. Chris worried about him far too much, but he appreciated the concern. Christophe was too good a friend for him. Even after six years of friendship, Victor wasn’t accustomed to having someone care so deeply for his wellbeing, but it was certainly a nice change of pace.

“I’m walking up the stairs now,” Victor said, keys jingling as he pulled them free from his pocket. “I’ll be inside in just a moment.”

“Good to hear,” Chris acknowledged. “I’m going to head off to bed, I have an early shoot tomorrow and I need all the beauty sleep I can get. Be sure to put the timer on for the coffee when you get in.”

“Alright, will do,” Victor hummed as he stifled a yawn, stopping in front of the apartment door.

“Merci, sleep well love.”

“You too,” Victor replied, unlocking the door and slipping inside after Makka.

Victor hung up the phone and locked the door behind himself. He then crouched down to free Makka from her leash. She gave his hand a small, appreciative lick before trotting off in the direction of her water bowl.

Victor quickly toed off his shoes and hung up the leash before he followed suit, grabbing a bottle of water for himself and downing about half of it before coming back up for air. He did a quick glance around the kitchen which was _mostly_ clean, set the timer on the coffee before heading to his room to take a shower.

After taking a quick shower and slipping on some boxers, Victor clambered into bed, Makka joining him on top of the sheets. She curled at the end of the bed, scooting close to Victor and settling her rear atop of Victor’s legs

“Makkaaa…” Victor groaned, letting out a sigh of his own as he wiggled his feet underneath her body.

She just lifted her head, looked at unperturbed, and let out a soft boof before settling back down, refusing to move.

“Ah fine… you can stay there,” Victor grumbled lips curled in a fond smile as he rolled his eyes. He already knew that his feet were going to be numb in the morning.

Makka readjusted herself marginally before sighing deeply and dozing off. Most nights, Victor would be awake well after laying down listening to Makka’s gentle breaths as his mind ran a million miles a minute, but thankfully, tonight he drifted off with no difficulty at all.

* * *

The next day passed by in a blur. He had gotten up late, rushed to get ready and ended up fifteen minutes late to his morning shift. Mila had been covering his spot at the desk when he walked in. She didn’t say anything as he rushed in with a coffee in his hand but looked a little frazzled as she tried to work quickly through the large crowd of people checking in and out for the day.

Victor didn’t have time to explain himself after clocking in as he was too busy trying to help Mila minimize the slew of people who filled their lobby. It wasn’t unusual to have a busy morning rush, but things never got _this_ busy. Not unless there was some big, important event taking place in the city. Victor still wasn’t awake enough to remember what events were going on in Moscow this week and there simply wasn’t to time to stop and google anything.

When they were finally able to take a short break, pulling two other employees to cover the desk for a minute, Victor groaned, “Mila, please just kill me now. There are too many people here.”

She sighed deeply, pinching the bridge of her nose as she said, “I can’t do that because then there I’d be stuck here alone with the vampires out there. I think I need a drink.”

“Fine, make that two drinks then,” Victor huffed.

“Some bigshot artist must be having a show in town this week. There are too many younger kids for this be like some corporate conference.”

Victor shook his head dejectedly and said, “Honestly everything has been going so fast today that I honestly hadn’t even noticed.

“I dunno how you could have missed it! Those little monsters have been running all around the damn lobby,” Mila said with a bitter laugh.

“Well, you see, I think I’ve just been too distracted by their crabby, jetlagged parents to noticed the little squirts who are driving you nuts.”

“Seeing all those little kids everywhere just makes me even happier that I’m gay,” Mila groaned and rubbed at her temples, no doubt trying to rub away a headache that was starting to build behind her tired green eyes. “Their incessant screams and whining are enough to make me go insane.”

“So, I’m guessing adoption is out of the picture for you then?” Victor teased.

“Absolutely,” she affirmed. “I will stick with adopting puppies or kittens. They’re a lot easier to care for than bloodsucking little children.”

“Damn Mila, you’re brutal,” Victor snickered.

“Little kids are the brutal ones! They’d tear me apart!”

“Oh, I think you’d soften up if you spend more time around children,” Victor insisted. Though he had to admit, it was hard trying to imagine Mila taking care of a slew of children.

“I highly doubt that,” she scoffed, shooting Victor a disbelieving look. “If you like kids so much, why don’t you adopt some?”

“I think I have bigger things to be focused on at the moment,” Victor mused. “College wasn’t cheap and my bank account is a constant reminder of that. Plus, my life isn't stable enough to raise a kid right now. I still share a damn house with Chris."

"So, what makes you think that my life is more stable than yours? I may not have college debt taunting me anymore but I am certainly not in a place where raising a kid would be a good idea.”

“At least you’re in a relationship,” Victor sighed, followed by a self-depreciative laugh. “You’d have Sara there to help you raise a kid.”

"Raising a kid?" someone interjected as they entered the room. As Victor turned, he spotted a slightly grumpy looking Yuri. "Please tell me you aren't pregnant Mila, I thought you were gay!"

“Oh, you are quite correct, I am as gay as they come,” Mila confirmed. “We were merely commenting on the demon spawn overtaking the lobby and reinforcing my desire to never have children.”

“I have to agree with you on both fronts,” Yuri grunted. “Those children are monsters and you’d be quite an awful mother.”

“Hey,” Mila retorted. “I never said I’d be a bad mother, just that I never want to raise a child.”

Victor met Yuri’s eyes and the amusement he felt was mirrored back on the younger boy’s face. After a second, Victor could no longer hold back his snicker of laughter, Yuri joining in moments later.

“Ugh I hate both of you,” Mila huffed as she fished a small hotel issued towelette packet out of her pocket and chucked it at Victor.

“I believe this is workplace violence,” Victor teased, trying and failing to catch the small soft projectile. “Wouldn’t you say so, Yura?”

“If this is what happens to Mila’s brain when she’s around children then we must make sure that she is never allowed to reproduce,” Yuri commented, the amusement still evident on his face.

“Why are there so many children here anyway? Victor asked. “Mila and I were trying to figure it out, but clearly we got sidetracked.”

Yuri’s expression shifted from a look of amusement to one of mild shock. “Please tell me you’re joking right now, Victor.”

Victor furrowed his brow and asked, “I take it that you do know the reason then?”

“Yeah, and I’m surprised that you don’t,” Yuri scoffed. He moved closer to Victor reaching out a hand to feel his forehead. “Come here, lemme check and see if you have a fever. Did you bump your head this morning?”

“I’m fine Yura,” Victor insisted, dodging out of Yuri’s reach and pushing Yuri’s hand away from his face, “Are you gonna make me keep guessing or are you actually going to tell me.”

“You really must be getting old,” Yuri said with a shake of his head. “This Saturday is the final stop on your heartthrob band’s international tour.”

Victor’s brow shot up in surprise. “Wait, that’s this weekend?” Victor gaped, fishing his phone from the depths of his pocket. “Is it already fucking November?”

Sure enough, as Victor unlocked his phone and opened up his calendar, the date read ‘_Wednesday, November 6th’ _and right there on his calendar, just three days from now was a calendar event reminding him that _On Love _would be on Moscow for the final show international show of their _Life and Love_ tour.

“How could you possibly forget about that?” Yuri asked flabbergasted.

Victor shrugged uncomfortably. “Lost track of time I guess,” he mumbled, closing the calendar and putting his phone back into his pocket. It was easy to forget when you’re trying to pretend like the event wasn’t happening.

Unlike last year, when the band had gone on their _Eros _Tour, Victor didn’t have the money to buy tickets when they went on sale. By the time he’d gotten his next paycheck, all the tickets had been sold out, even the worst nosebleed seats that the stadium had to offer were gone. Victor couldn’t believe it; the tickets had only been up for two weeks. He doubted that the stadium had _ever _sold that many tickets _that_ quickly. It was clearly a sign indicating that he just wasn’t meant to be there this year.

“Wait, how could you forget? You _are_ going to it, right?” Mila questioned; her interest also peaked. She knew as well as Yuri just how obsessed Victor was.

Victor kept his composure, burying his disappointment as he looked up at the two with a soft smile. “Nah, not this time. I went last year, plus the tickets for the Moscow show sold out almost immediately. Apparently, they’re pretty popular here.”

Mila grimaced, apparently seeing right though Victor’s mask. “Damn, that really sucks Vitya.”

He waved her off, refusing to wallow in his own self-pity. “They’re going to be working on another album, I’m sure they’ll go on another tour once that album is released.”

“Maybe you can find some scalpers selling tickets outside the concert venue on Saturday,” Yuri chimed in. It seemed that Yuri still hadn’t grown out of his devious, rebellious stage of life just yet.

“I’m serious, it’s fine. I won’t be at their show Saturday, it’s not the end of the world!” he insisted. Victor appreciated his friend's input but he’d heard the horror stories of people buying tickets from scalpers only to be turned away at the door with fake tickets in hand.

“Maybe you’ll run into the band on the streets somewhere at least. I mean, the venue isn’t that far from here. I’m sure the band will want to explore the area a bit,” Mila hummed. “Maybe you’ll bump into your little Asian heartthrob and he’ll take one look at you and fall head over heels in love.”

“Hey, isn’t it about time to go back in and face those rabid children again Mila?” Victor deflected, glancing back towards the lobby where he knew people were bustling in and out, checking in or out of reserved rooms.

“Ugh, I take back everything,” Mila quipped. “You are an evil, evil man Victor Nikiforov. This is the last time I try to help you meet the hunky man of your fanboy fantasies.”

“I think I’m going to stay here just a little longer,” Yuri scoffed. “If I have to look at five more orders of kids Mac and Cheese or Grilled Chicken, I think I might have to throw myself into the fryer. Kids have no idea what real food tastes like.”

Victor smirked softly and gave Yuri a consolidating pat on the shoulder. “Hang in there, buddy,” he consoled before turning to walk back towards the lobby and face the fast-paced environment of work once again.

* * *

Victor couldn’t help his continuous glances at the time displayed on his watch. Most of the day had gone by blessedly quick, but as things finally slowed and the end of his shift near, time began to mock him.

His watch, as it had indicated the last two times he checked, currently showed that it was fifteen minutes till ten, meaning that there were still forty-five agonizingly slow minutes left until he could finally go home. After the wild rush of people, he’d seen throughout the day, Victor assumed that the typical eight pm slowdown tonight would have been a welcome sight. He couldn’t have been more wrong. All it did was give Victor more time to think about how there was absolutely nothing to do. Chances were that there he would only see one, maybe two more guests before the night's end. 

Usually, after eight or nine, anyone who had reserved a room already settled in for the night. The exceptions to this were usually people who flew into the city on a Red-Eye flight or for those who had been caught up in a meeting that ran later than intended. Occasionally, there would one would see the occasionally drunk guest stumbling in with an equally as drunk stranger on their arm. It was one of those don’t ask, don’t tell situations. And honestly, Victor really would rather not know anyway.

As he stood on aching feet, Victor tried to stifle a yawn, eyes scanning lazily over the empty lobby. Other than himself, there was no one in sight, just like it had been for the last thirty minutes. Tonight, he was working the counter with Mila’s girlfriend, Sara, but she was currently off delivering fresh towels to a g guest who had called in a request. Victor had wanted to take the towels just so he would have something to do, but after miserably losing a match of Rock Paper Scissors two to zero, Sara had gotten to take them. Meanwhile, Victor was still just stuck at the counter, watching after a cold, empty lobby. Outside, the occasion headlights from a passing car would glint off the glass windows, casting a rainbow pattern in the textured glass windows.

Victor sighed heavily. He just needed something or someone to end his monotonous boredom.

As he was about to fish out his phone and a pair of headphones, a loud crashing sound made his silent wishes become a reality.

Victor jumped nearly a foot in the air as the silence was broken by a loud clattering sound followed by what was probably swearing in some foreign language. The swearing was quickly followed by the sound of light laughter, presumably from the same person if Victor was to guess.

Slowly, Victor moved from behind the lobby desk and tried cautiously to get a better view of the person who was causing such a commotion. Even though they had a doorman, sometimes drunken party-goers were able to accidentally wander into the lobby and stir up a quite ruckus. Victor really hoped that this wasn’t the case. He’d wished for something cool to happen and that didn’t mean chasing after a stumbling drunkard who’d probably puke on the floor. That was not his idea of a good time.

Victor grew even more confused as he finally spotted the source of the commotion stagger through the doors. It was not a lost pub-goer as he had expected, rather, it was a tower of luggage and a set of denim-clad legs. Still mostly behind the counter, Victor watched as the tower of suitcases wobbled to and fro, appearing to be dangerously close to falling over.

“Umm… hi?” Victor called stupidly, praying that the foreign visitor spoke English.

“Hey, is someone there?” a male voice replied, thankfully in fairly clean English.

“Yeah, I’m one of the employees here,” Victor answered. “Would you like some assistance with that?”

A light melodious chuckle came from behind the tower as the man replied said, “Ya know, I thought I could handle all this on my own, but after almost putting a hole in the wall back there, I think some assistance would be delightful.”

There was something in the man’s accent that sounded vaguely familiar, but for the life of him, Victor couldn’t place it. It was clearly from out of town, but he just couldn’t pinpoint the origin.

Victor quickly stepped forward and looked for something that he could easily grab without throwing the poor man even further off balance. “What should I take?” Victor asked, hands fumbling around the mountain of stuff.

“Uh, well here you can start by taking this out of my hand,” the man turned and struggled to lift a small cage towards the sound of Victor’s voice without dropping anything.

Without a second thought, Victor secured the cage before the man could lose his balance again. A quick glance inside revealed three tiny… mice? Gerbils? –

“They’re hamsters,” the man supplied, guessing that Victor was trying to figure out what animals he was holding.

Generally, the hotel didn’t allow guest to bring in pets of any sort unless they were certified service animals, but it was late and Victor really didn’t feel like trying to enforce the hotel's rules tonight. There was just too much paperwork involved with that.

“Aww, they’re cute,” Victor cooed, smiling as one of the hamsters starting digging in the torn-up newspaper that made up part of their bedding.

“I know right!” the man agreed eagerly. His joy turned to panic as one of his parcels of luggage almost toppled over again.

“Oh, right, else do you need me to grab?” Victor spluttered, suddenly remembering that he wasn’t supposed to be fawning over the cuteness of hamsters.

“Uh, just those top two items I guess,” the man decided. “I don’t think my friends would be too pleased if I drop some of their luggage.”

“There are more people coming?” Victor inquired as he grabbed items that the man had indicated.

“Well you didn’t think all of this luggage was for me, now did you?” the man chuckled.

“I’ve been here long enough. I wouldn’t be the first time I’d seen it.” Victor noted. “It wouldn’t have surprised me at all of you said that all of this was just for you.”

“Oh man, I bet you could tell some interesting stories,” the man answered, humor evident in his voice.

“I think I could write a book based on all the crazy stuff I’ve seen here,” Victor snorted as he led the man towards the check-in desk. “Don’t even get me started on the list of strange things that have been left behind in the hotel rooms after guests check out.”

The moan hissed in sympathy, “Man, you gotta let me buy you a drink sometime. I’d love to hear some of those stories.”

“We’d probably be there a while,” Victor joked distantly. “I’ve seen and heard a lot of pretty traumatizing stuff.”

“Well, I can be your therapist then,” the man resolved. “I’ve been told I’m a good listener.”

“Duly noted,” Victor hummed, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

“By the way,” the man began, “Might of know the name of the man who came to the aid of me and my hamsters?”

“Oh, of course!” Victor fumbled as he set the hamster cage down on the desk and the other two bags on the floor, “How rude of me, you can just call me Victor.”

“Victor,” the man replied. “Well, it is a pleasure to meet someone so friendly and high spirited after dealing with the zombie TSA agents at the airport today.”

“Here, we're at the front desk,” Victor commented. “Let me help you put down some of those bags so we can get you checked in and up to your room. I’m sure you’re exhausted.”

The man quickly agreed and together they got everything safely on the floor. “I’ll bring a luggage trolley over in a just a moment so we can get you to you room easier,” Victor hummed, as he straightened and got his first good look at the new arrival.

Victor faltered, eyes widening for just a split second as he took in the tired, yet cheerful face of Phichit Chulanont. That would explain why the accent had been so familiar to him

“Yeah, I think that might be a good idea,” Phichit agreed quickly.

Victor fought to maintain his composure and to hide his utter shock at being so close to one of his idols. He really hoped that Phichit hadn’t noticed his momentary reaction. Since so many famous people frequented their hotel, employees weren’t supposed to bother the guests by fawning over them or bothering them for autographs or phone numbers. Employees were instructed to treat famous guest as people, not things to objectify and drool over. Over the years, quite a few employees had been asked to leave for breaking this rule. Yakov liked his business to live up to a certain standard and it clearly worked because people always seemed to come back.

Victor had never questioned the policy and found that it was one of the more respectable aspects of their business. He’d never had a problem with the rule or any issue upholding it, but damn, life really wanted to try and throw him for a loop. On the inside, Victor could feel himself falling apart. Here he was laughing and joking with one of the members of his absolute favorite bands while forcing himself to act like everything was fine.

“Alrighty,” Victor rasped, clapping his hands together to distract himself from thinking too much about the man standing before him. He quickly walked back behind the front desk and added, “Now let’s get you checked in so you and your hamsters can get some rest.”

“Sounds like a plan,” Phichit replied, smiling despite the clear exhaustion on his face.

“So,” Victor started, jiggling the mouse to bring the computer screen back to life, “Our first order of business, what name is the room you are staying in registered under?”

Phichit snorted, his cheeks turning a little pink at the question.

Victor quirked his brow at Phichit amusedly, “I promise whatever name you chose; I’ve seen worse.”

Phichit laughed, shaking his head in embarrassment. “Man, even at a classy place like this?”

Victor leaned over the counter slightly and lowered his voice just an octave as he murmured, “Just because some of our guests have money, it doesn’t mean that they all have class, believe me on that one.”

Phichit snorted, nodding his head in agreement. “That is a great observation and you are not wrong my friend.”

Victor’s heart was pounding hard in his chest as he conversed with Phichit. He hoped to god that he was acting normal still and hiding away his fanboy emotions from the man in front of him. At least Phichit was laughing and smiling still. He seemed pretty relaxed, which Victor assumed had to be a good thing.

“Would you be able to tell me one of the names others have used?” Phichit conspired, a wicked smile playing at the corners of his lips. “It might make me feel a little better about the corny name I used.”

Victor considered it for a moment. Honestly, he could get in trouble for revealing such information, but he had a feeling that Phichit wasn’t going to go run to his boss a tell. Besides, as long as he didn’t reveal the actual names of the guests who had reserved the rooms then no harm was done.

He tapped his chin for a moment, trying to think of a good example he had seen recently. “Do you want a clean example or a dirty one?” Victor relented.

“A dirty example of course,” Phichit replied, leaning in now, eyes glittering with excitement and mischief.

“I like your style,” Victor chuckled. “Now, I can’t tell you anything about the person, but not too long ago, someone of higher status check-in under the name _Haywood Jablomi._”

Phichit tried valiantly not to laugh once he processed the words and lasted a total of two seconds. It took him a solid thirty seconds to stop laughing, scrubbing at his cheeks as tears ran down his face.

“How long did it take you to stop laughing when they tried to check-in?” Phichit finally asked after he was able to stand up straight again.

“Believe it or not, I keep a straight face until they got out of the lobby,” Victor said with a laugh. “But damn, it was hard not to just start immediately laughing like you just did.”

“I wouldn’t have been able to do it, man,” Phichit snickered. “I would have been on the floor in tears. You’d need to call an ambulance to come in and revive my body after laughing myself to death.”

Victor shook his head, trying to imagine what that scene would look like in real life. “You see, I kinda like having a job so, I gotta keep a straight face at least while I’m in front of our guests.”

“They would have fired me the first day I started,” Phichit grinned. He pointed at Victor and nodded in approval as he said, “You, I like you.”

“Well thank you, I appreciate the compliment,” Victor replied, allowing his full genuine smile to shine through the well-contained mask he was wearing.

“Alright, well, I suppose we better start moving forward with the check-in process before my friends arrive and wonder why I still don’t have the key,” Phichit mused with a soft chuckle.

Victor’s eyes darted towards the door at the mention of Phichit’s friends. He was willing to bet that those friends of his were the other members of On Love. Electricity was humming beneath his skin at the thought of seeing Yuuri Katsuki in person outside of a concert venue.

Victor forced himself to redirect his thought process. If he allowed his mind to wander down a path involving Yuuri, things would turn bad really quickly. There would be no way he’d be able to maintain his composure and maintain a conversation with Phichit at the same time. He had to keep himself in the moment at all cost.

“Right, yes, I’d say that’s probably a good plan,” Victor agreed, readying his hands over the keyboard. “So, what is this quirky name that you used to reserve the room.”

Phichit’s cheeks flushed pink again as he finally admitted, “Well… uh, it’s not nearly as bad as your example, but the room should be reserved under the name _‘Peachy Keen’.”_

He couldn’t suppress the hint of amusement that the name brought him. The corners of Victor’s lips quirked in response as he felt the familiar urge to laugh building in his chest. Victor knew from watching _On Love’s _interviews, that his bandmates affectionately called Phichit, ‘Peach’. He thought it was rather cute that Phichit seemed so fond of the name.

“And how do you spell that sir?” Victor inquired, somehow keeping his voice level.

“Oh, come now, you can drop the act,” Phichit snorted. “Please laugh at my terrible name choice.”

Victor’s eyes met Phichit’s hazel ones, and he finally lost it. Allowing himself for once, to actually partake in his customer’s joke, ducking his head bashfully as peals of laughter bubbled up from his chest.

“This is why I’m never allowed to book the rooms,” Phichit commented, joining in with Victor’s laughter. “But in my defense, I figured you would have just scanned like an email code on my phone or something. I didn’t think I’d actually have to give the name I used.”

“You have definitely made my night,” Victor chortled.

“Well, I am happy to be of service,” Phichit replied with a salute.

From there, the rest of the check-in process passed smoothly. Victor discovered that their party had reserved three rooms and would be staying there for a week and a half on the top floor.

Victor found it quite interesting that the band was planning on staying in town after completing their last show. His curiosity was eating at him from the inside out, but Victor was careful to make no mention of it. Once he had activated the electronic door keys, Victor passed them over to Phichit who pocketed them graciously.

As he did so, Victor’s eyes fell onto the excessive amount of luggage that had been brought in, reminding him that they still needed a luggage trolley. “If you would excuse me for just a moment, I am going to go and grab a cart for your luggage,” Victor told Phichit with a nod.

Normally, another attendant would have brought one over so he wouldn’t have to leave their guest unattended, but since Sara still hadn’t returned, Victor had to retrieve it himself. It gave him the chance to clear his mind a bit.

He returned a few minutes later to see Phichit sitting cross-legged on the floor, back resting against the check-in desk as he fiddled on his phone.

“Oh, you don’t have to sit on the floor!” Victor exclaimed, glancing nervously toward the cameras. He knew that no one was really going to say anything about it (if someone even cared enough to watch the tapes) as the guest chose to sit of their own accord, but Victor couldn’t help being a little paranoid. “We do have some more comfortable chairs just over there.” Victor gestured toward the sitting area in the lobby, which looked warm and inviting.

“Yeah, but then it would be harder to chat with you,” Phichit answered easily, standing slowly and stretching. “Because I imagine that you’re not really allowed to sit a chat with guests while on the clock, right?”

“You would be correct,” Victor confirmed as he started to place some of Phichit’s many bags onto the cart.

Phichit quickly began to help, carefully pilling the rest of the items onto the trolley in a somewhat orderly fashion. Once they were finished, Victor asked, “Would you like assistance rolling this up to your room?”

“Maybe in a few minutes, but I think I’ll actually wait here with you just a little longer. My friends are heading back now, so I might as well wait for them,” Phichit explained with a shrug. “They wanted to stop to pick up some take out before turning in for the night.”

“And you didn’t go with them?” Victor asked curiously.

“Nah, I wanted to have first dibs on the room and bed,” Phichit snickered, an evil twinkle in his eye.

“Ahh, I see how it is,” Victor said with a laugh.

After that, a brief silence fell between the two of them. Surprisingly, the silence didn’t feel awkward or uncomfortable. Phichit was simply fawning over his hamsters and feeding them what appeared to be carrot shreds while Victor completed the finishing touches on the sign-in paperwork. A quick glance at the clock told him that there were only ten minutes remaining of his shift. The shift that had been going slow not long ago now seemed to be racing by. For once in his life, Victor actually started wishing that his shift was actually longer rather than shorter.

Victor tried not to think about the fact that Yuuri was probably heading towards the hotel now to join Phichit. He had to keep his head clear for just a few more minutes. Once he clocked out, Victor would be free to fanboy as much as he wanted. He just had to hold his composure for just a tad bit longer.

Victor’s mental crisis was interrupted by Phichit. His voice was far softer and quieter than it had been for the rest of their conversation. “This might be presumptuous of me,” he began. “So, forgive me if I am reading things wrong, but I wouldn’t be offended if you wanted an autograph,” Phichit’s tone sounded so gentle and genuine.

Victor looked up and found that Phichit was already looking at him. He was stunned, unable to think of anything to say in response. Maybe he had been more obvious than he realized.

When Victor didn’t say anything Phichit asked, “You do know who I am, right?”

Victor chewed at his bottom lip then said, “Yeah, I do.”

“And you’re a fan?”

Victor grimaced then shot Phichit a guilty smile, “Was I that obvious?”

Phichit shook his head. “No actually, earlier when we set everything down, I thought I saw a flash of recognition on your face but I couldn’t be totally sure. If I had so much as blinked, I would have missed the look altogether.”

Victor let the tension in his shoulders ease just a bit as Phichit explained.

“Based on the way you were talking about your job earlier, I kind of gathered that you’re not allowed to ask guest stuff like that,” Phichit continued. “Then, when I told you the pseudonym, I used to reserve the room, I had a feeling that you knew why I chose the name. I never even told you my name but it seemed like you just knew.”

Victor’s cheeks flushed slightly. He scratched at the back of his head nervously and said, “Damn, you’re good.”

Phichit shrugged, crossing his arms on the desk and resting his chin on them lightly. “When your best friend is Yuuri Katsuki, you’ve gotta be good at reading people.” Briefly, a dark, troubled look seemed to pass over the boys usually chipper expression. It was unnatural to see Phichit wear such a concerned expression and something about it made ice pool in the pit of Victor’s stomach. However, as soon as the expression crossed Phichit’s face, it was gone, his normal bright expression returning full blast.

After the moment passed, Victor felt his cheeks flush, thoughts now turned to Yuuri’s. Victor didn’t miss the slight smirk on Phichit’s lips at his reaction. Damn perceptive mother fucker.

“But like I said,” Phichit hummed, eyes locked on Victor again as he spoke. “I don’t mind giving you an autograph if you’d like one. I can even get some from the rest of the band too if you want.”

Victor was kicking himself inside, already mentally cursing the words that were going to come out of his mouth before he brought them to life.

He turned towards Phichit, his body facing the man more fully placing all of his attention on Phichit’s wide, bright eyes as he said, “Phichit, I really truly appreciate the kindness of your offer. I won’t lie, I really am a big fan of your band’s music and your choreography. I’ve been following your music since the start and I really respect what you all do. But I must turn down your offer for two reasons. One, it goes against my company’s employee policy, but more than I just have too much respect for you and your bandmates. This job has taught me that just because someone’s face is known across the globe, doesn’t mean that they are perfect and invincible. You’re human too, just like me and I don’t want to treat you like you’re on this unreachable pedestal. Honestly, I just enjoyed getting to converse with you like I would with anyone else. I hope you don’t take offense to my rejection of your offer, because I truly do value your kindness.”

When Victor was done talking, he felt like just burying his head into the sand and never resurfacing. Everything he told Phichit was the honest truth, but he wasn’t sure how well his flustered rambling came across.

As Victor looked up again, Phichit was wearing an unusual expression that Victor couldn’t quite place. It made him a little nervous, unsure of what Phichit was going to say next.

To Victor’s utter surprise Phichit simply said, “I knew there was a reason why I liked you.”

“If only we had more fans like you,” came a deep, heavily accented voice from somewhere near the lobby’s entrance.

Victor jumped, heart, launching into his throat as he turned to see who else had joined them unnoticed. Victor’s heart rate began to pick up and his hands begin to sweat and shake uncontrollably as he realized who else had arrived. Immediately, Victor's eyes locked with a pair of deep chocolate brown eyes that made his insides start to melt. 

Standing by the doors were the remaining members of _On Love _and it was clear that they had just heard everything he said. Victor never wished harder for a black hole to open up beneath him and swallow him forever.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I really meant to post this chapter early in the morning today but I had an idea late last night for a drawing that would go nice with it and I spent basically all day drawing it 😅 Please enjoy!
> 
> *Unbeta'ed chapter all mistakes are my own*

Victor was about 92% certain that he must have died and gone to heaven. Or maybe this was hell, it was a little too early to start making assumptions at the moment. The only thing he was fairly certain of was that there was no possible way that he could still on planet earth.

This had to be some type of fevered dream, or he had accidentally fallen asleep at the counter.

It was entirely impossible to believe that the members of _On Love _were actually standing in the lobby of the damn hotel he worked at.

This kind of thing didn’t happen to him. Throughout his life, he had never been one of those people fortunate enough to have random chance encounters such as this. Just to be sure, he wasn’t dreaming, Victor subtly pinched himself only to discover that this was very real.

"Right, isn't he just great!" Phichit replied, turning to beam at his bandmates. The sound of Phichit’s voice breaking Victor from his daze and he forced himself to tear his eyes away from Yuuri’s. "Victor here has been nothing short of charming and pleasant since I got here. Even though I nearly put a hole in the lobby wall!"

"Peach, this is why you're not allowed to go places by yourself," Minami, the shortest of the four boys cackled, his pink and yellow hair bouncing a little as he shook his head.

"Why, because I make friends?" Phichit questioned, grinning broadly and quirking his brow in amusement.

"No," Otabek chimed in, his expression far more somber and stoic than Minami’s as he spoke. "Because you always break things and make employees lives harder than needed. You’re usually the reason we people want to kick us out of places."

Victor tried, but he couldn’t hold back his snort of laughter. The thought of Phichit being destructive enough to get them kicked out of somewhere was a little too amusing. Phichit turned toward him, a false sour look pinching his face. "Woah, you're on his side now?" Phichit accused with a pout. "I thought what we had was special!"

Victor put his hands up in defense, eyes widening in mock surprise. "Oh, I’m _not_ taking sides, believe me. You actually saved me from spending the last 45 minutes of my shift alone and drowning in boredom."

Phichit brightened again and turned to point an accusing finger towards Otabek as he crowed, "See, I wasn’t a burden to anyone."

"Maybe not this time,” Otabek hummed, shifting a little to readjust a book bag that was slung over his shoulder, “but generally _yes_, yes you a burden to the staff." No sooner than he finished talking, Otabek was stifling a yawn into his sleeve.

"W- we, uh should probably head up to our rooms soon,” Yuuri's much softer voice nervously stuttered, forcing Victor to turn towards the source.

Victor had shown great restraint by not flat out ogling the poor boy throughout this entire conversation. It was hard not to stare at the beautiful Asian man who always filled his dreams at night, but he also didn’t want him to feel uncomfortable.

However, now that his eyes were finally on Yuuri, it was hard to look away. If he was being totally honest with himself, Yuuri looked awful, dark circles beneath his lids, hair a disheveled mess, clothing crumpled and full of wrinkles. It looked like the guy hadn’t slept in a month, but despite all of that, Victor still found himself a little starstruck.

Even when he seemed out of sorts and off his game, Victor still believed that Yuuri was the most beautiful man on earth. He would scream it from the rooftops if he could. Seeing Yuuri up close and in person was something he never imagined would happen in his lifetime, but yet, here he was.

Victor didn’t realize how much he was staring until Yuuri shifted uncomfortably under Victor’s intense gaze. Yuuri’s cheeks were glowing with a bright dusting of pink as looked up timidly at Victor through long dark lashes.

During this brief interaction, Yuuri seemed so different than the man that was portrayed on the screen. Typically, Yuuri was portrayed as the living embodiment of eros, someone sexy and devious with a wink so hot that some speculated it could kill if directed at you. The smoldering look he sometimes threw to the camera was sensual enough to make anyone instantly pregnant. There was a reason why Yuuri was such a popular member of the band.

However, the version of Yuuri standing before him seemed shyer and more innocent, so unlike the sexy playboy that everyone imaged him to be. Victor couldn’t help but wonder if this was the true representation of Yuuri or if this was just how he got when he was incredibly tired and worn out. 

The moment between them was broken as Yuuri reached up to push a pair of dark blue glasses up the bridge of his nose. Victor blinked in surprised, not noticing the thick frames until that very moment. He’d never seen them before and was almost positive that he’d never seen Yuuri wear glasses out in public or during photoshoots. 

Victor cocked his head curiously, deciding that he liked the way the glasses framed Yuuri’s delicate face. Then, like the utter dumbass he was Victor’s mouth go ahead of his brain as he hummed, “I didn’t know you wore glasses. They look quite nice on you.”

Even as the words fell from his lips, Victor wanted to kick himself. Yuuri finally dropped his gaze, eyes fixing to a spot on the floor as his cheeks flushed an even darker shade of red. Victor knew he had fucked up as Yuuri seemed to shrink into himself, seemed to shield himself away from Victor’s words. His first-time meeting Yuuri and he already said something he shouldn’t have. Victor really might be in hell, because only he could ruin the first and most likely only interaction, he’d ever have with his celebrity crush.

“I- err… thanks…” Yuuri mumbled, eyes still locked on the floor. His body language gave away just how uncomfortable he was standing here in the lobby.

Guilt pooled in his stomach and as shame caused his cheeks to flush red. He hadn’t meant to stare at Yuuri so intently or let his stupid mouth make the situation uncomfortable. It was like his brain had gone offline as soon as Yuuri walked in the door and ended up stuck in an unending boot loop.

Desperately he tried to think of a way to save the situation as the silence in the lobby stretched on. It felt like years to Victor, but it was more likely that only a few fleeting seconds had ticked by. Thankfully, his loud panicked thoughts were interrupted by a loud yawn from Phichit. "Well, I think I must agree with Yuuri, I might just end up sleeping on the lobby floor if we hang around down here much longer.”

Victor shot Phichit a grateful look, relief flooding his body as he was given an easy way out of this situation. He was starting to appreciate Phichit more and more throughout the night. “I don’t think my boss would be too pleased with me if I allowed guests to sleep in the lobby rather than in their own rooms,” Victor joked weakly. Internally, he hoped that none of the band complained about him to upper management. He really couldn’t afford to lose this job.

“Oh, yeah, we don’t want that,” Phichit exclaimed. “I like you too much to see you get fired! And besides, if we sleep out here, the paparazzi might catch wind of our presence and start to swarm.”

Victor cringed sympathetically. He knew firsthand how annoying and pesky the paparazzi could be. There had been more than one occasion where he and many other staffers had to chase the paparazzi out when high-class guests stayed in their hotel. “You won’t have to worry about any paparazzi in here,” Victor assured the group seriously. “We consider the safety and privacy of all guests to be the top priority here. So of course, I won’t say a word to anyone about your presence here. We also have strict rules prohibiting any paparazzi from entering the premises. So, if anyone tries to enter the building to harass any of you don’t hesitate to contact one of our staff members to come to take care of the problem for you.”

Phichit gave Victor an appreciative look as he wearily said, “I appreciate your oath to secrecy and the consideration of our wellbeing, but honestly, the masses are probably on their way here already. Sometimes, it seems like our fans know where we’re going to be at before we even know.”

Victor grimaced at the reality of the statement. He thought briefly of all the online forms that were dedicated to disrupting the peace and privacy of the band. Even Chris had to deal with fans and paparazzi disrupting his dinners out or simple strolls through the park. Though, he wasn’t nearly as popular as On Love. Victor couldn’t imagine having to deal with the number of obsessive bands and On Love did. Quite frankly, it was fucking ridiculous.

Victor still remembered feeling sick to his stomach the day he found an _On Love_ discussion form filled with insiders tracking the specific planes and flight numbers that the band was flying on. Eventually, the form was shut down by the moderators for privacy violations, but he was sure that other pages like that one still existed. Victor hated how invasive and insensitive some of the fans could be and it gave the fans who actually cared about the band a bad rep. “I bet that keeps things ah… interesting, for lack of a better word.”

“Something like that,” Phichit hummed with a dry laugh.

“Well, you don’t have to worry about any of those vultures getting to you in here,” Victor assured him again. “I’ll be sure to personally kick anyone out who comes to bother you if I have to.”

“Good, I’m glad to know we have a dedicated bodyguard when we come down to the lobby,” Phichit was smiling again as he put a hand on the luggage cart.

The motion abruptly reminded Victor that he was supposed to be letting the band leave so they could finally sleep. “Oh, uh, would you like any assistance in bringing your belongings up to the rooms?" Victor asked, wearily appraising the overloaded luggage cart, the steaming boxes of food in Yuuri and Minami’s hands as well, and the heavy book bags that all four were wearing.

“N-no I think we’re-” Yuuri tried to speak but was interrupted by Phichit.

“I think that would be delightful,” he said with a nod. Victor was sure that there was something hidden beneath the tone in Phichit’s voice, but he just couldn’t quite identify what it was. “Here, hold my children. I don’t want them to fall off the cart and get hurt.”

Victor almost dropped the hamster cage as Phichit shoved the cage back into his unexpecting arms. The fluffy creatures inside chirped loudly and ran around the cage with more energy than Victor himself had.

“Your… children?” Victor asked with a confused chuckle.

“That’s just what he calls his hamsters,” Minami explained, bouncing on the balls of his feet, seeming to have just as much energy as the hamsters in the cage did. Of the bunch, Minami seemed like the only one who _wasn’t _about ready to pass out.

“Heathen, take that back,” Phichit snapped as he turned abruptly to face the bouncing boy. “They are more than hamster’s and you know it. Don’t hurt my children’s feelings.”

Minami just smirked wickedly and stayed silence, challenging Phichit to take things further. It was clear that these two teased one another quite often.

Instead of accepting the challenge, Phichit simply turned back to Victor and asked, “Which rooms were we staying in again?”

Victor blinked, realizing that he no longer remembered the room number. “Uh, good question, lemme check again.”

“How did you already forget Phichit?” Yuuri grumbled. His voice made Victor’s heart flutter in his chest. “You’re the one who insisted on making the reservation _and_ getting us checked in.”

“Hey, don’t blame me,” Phichit protested. “You know I have a hard time remembering numbers when I’m tired.”

“I’m pretty sure you always have a hard time remembering numbers unless it's about the number of followers you have on Twitter or how many likes you got on Instagram,” Yuuri grumbled grumpily, seeming to relax again just a little. Victor smirked a slightly at Yuuri’s quip but stayed silent.

As he popped back behind the counter, hamster in hand, to check the room number as Phichit cooed, “Awww, you remembered the name of the platforms I use! I’m so proud of you!”

“Peach, why are you always like this?” Yuuri grumbled.

“Because I’m amazing,” Phichit hummed airily. “And I know you love me.”

“Sometimes you make me question our friendship,” Yuuri groaned with a roll of his eyes.

Victor couldn’t help but smile a little at the way that Yuuri and Phichit playfully interacted. It was clear to see that the friendship between the two was something real and pure. Yuuri, who just moments before had seemed tensed and closed off, was now more relaxed and open, his tired eyes bright and sparkling as he conversed with Phichit.

Victor felt a little bad when he interrupted the conversation and said, “Alright gentlemen, if you would please follow me, I will take you up to your rooms.”

Much to Victor’s relief, Yuuri didn’t seem to tense up again when he spoke, but he did get quiet again as did everyone aside from Phichit.

“So, Victor,” Phichit began, they walked down the hall towards the elevators. “How long have you been working here?”

“Uh about a year and a half,” Victor replied easily. “I was hired here not long after graduating from college.”

Normally, when Victor took guests up to their rooms, he preferred silence over awkward small talk but today he was grateful for the conversation. Phichit’s light, chipper voice helped to keep the atmosphere light and comfortable between them all and kept Victor from awkwardly making his own small talk with the group.

“Oooh, what college did you go to? What was your major?” Phichit pressed, looking at Victor expectantly as they stopped in front of the elevator and pressed the button to call down the lift.

“Phichit, you’re going to wear the guy out,” Yuuri interjected. “Stop asking him for his whole life story.”

Victor couldn’t help but let his eyes dart to Yuuri’s face as he spoke. Yuuri’s eyes were narrowed at his friend before they jumped over to Victor briefly.

“Stop nagging Yuuri,” Phichit scoffed, elbowing Yuuri lightly. “Aren’t you interested to know more about him?”

Yuuri was quiet for a minute, his cheeks slowly turning the same shade of pink as they had in the lobby. When he replied, Yuuri glanced again at Victor then back to Phichit as he hummed, “I just think you’re being a little invasive is all.”

Victor shrugged, watching the numbers above the elevator count down slowly as he said, “Honestly I don’t mind. Most people here aren’t too conversational and I don’t really have anything to hide. My life is pretty uneventful.”

Phichit scoffed, “I’m sure you’re just downplaying it.”

Victor laughed bitterly and said, “Yeah, I wish, I’m nothing special. I graduated from a four-year university in St. Petersburg with a degree in Business Management. Which, I must admit was not really an interesting or enjoyable degree choice. By the time I realized that I didn’t like the degree it was already too late to change things.”

“So, how’d you end up as a receptionist if you have a degree in business?” Minami asked, as the elevator doors finally slid open. 

“Minami, don’t be rude,” Otabek snapped gruffly. Minami at least had the dignity to look a little ashamed as he was scolded for his boldness. Based on their conversation, Victor was starting to get the idea that Yuuri and Otabek were the ones who tried to keep the other two in line. It was an interesting dynamic.

“You’re fine, honestly,” Victor insisted as they all stepped onto the elevator, their luggage trolley making it a tight squeeze. He had asked himself this same question over the years, but he still didn’t have an adequate answer. Instead, he just gave the same answer he told others to avoid the truth. “It’s just a temporary thing. The job pays quite well and college fees don’t disappear on their own. I don’t plan on working here forever.”

Minami seemed to accept that answer with no issue much to Victor’s relief.

As the elevator doors slide shut, Victor finally noticed that he and Yuuri were squished quite close together in the sparse elevator space. Yuuri was in the middle of Phichit and Victor, almost close enough to touch both of them if he so much as moved his arm.

Victor cast his eyes up toward the ceiling to keep himself from starring and tried to squish himself further back into the corner of the elevator. The last thing he wanted to do was make Yuuri feel uncomfortable again. 

“So, what is your dream job then?” Phichit asked, looking around Yuuri to see Victor.

Victor felt like a stone dropped in his stomach. This was one of the few questions he really hated. Victor honestly had no clue about what he wanted to do. Growing up he had mainly just wanted to skate and in college, he had the idea of running an ice rink and teaching young kids how to skate. He even wanted to give kids like himself, who hadn’t been able to afford skating lessons a chance to learn. However, no matter how hard he tried, that idea seemed to be just out of reach. At this point in his life, Victor was doubtful that he’d get the chance to teach people to skate, but honestly, he had no life plans outside of that.

Victor never really knew what to say when asked this question and he usually floundered around a bit until people got the message and let it drop. However, in the presence of his idols, Victor wanted to give them something more than that. Make him seem a little more interesting than he actually was.

“I uh… well, I’m not totally sure,” Victor stuttered, eyes locked on his shoes as they gradually rose higher and higher. “Part of me wants to start my own business or maybe teach kids to ice skate, but that idea is probably a little farfetched.”

At the mention of ice skating, Yuuri’s head snapped up and Victor could feel the boy watching him closely.

“Ice skating?” Yuuri asked. It was the first time Yuuri had spoken to him without being addressed directly first. Frankly, Victor was a little taken aback by Yuuri’s sudden interest in the conversation.

Victor looked up as well and made eye contact with Yuuri, his dark chocolate colored eyes glimmering with interest.

Encouraged by Yuuri’s reaction, Victor continued, more eagerly than he normally did. “Yeah, I’ve always had a love for ice skating though I didn't get to skate much as a kid. I am far from what anyone would call a professionally, but I’d love to at least help get kids interested and teach them a little something about the sport.”

Yuuri was beaming at him now, his smile slowly building as Victor explained. “That amazing,” Yuuri gushed, genuine interest and awe radiating from him as he spoke. “I use to skate when I was little too. I wasn’t very good at it though so I eventually gave it up to learn music instead. However, I use to follow the competitions and the music used by skaters always intrigued me, especially piano pieces. So, eventually, I tried to write a few short and free program music pieces which came to me easier than skating did. Though, I didn’t actually end up doing anything with the music.”

It was Victor’s turn to watch Yuuri with wide, awestruck eyes. He hadn’t expected that. Victor wracked his brain, thinking back to the countless interviews that Yuuri had given, but he was almost positive that Yuuri had never mentioned anything about ice skating in any of them. The mere mention of ice skating had seemed to make Yuuri open up and relax a little. It was the most words he’d said all at once all night. Victor couldn’t quell the sense of pride that swelled in his chest knowing that he’d gotten Yuuri to talk so passionately about something he clearly cared about. What made it better, was that it was an interest that the two of them shared.

“That’s amazing,” Victor breathed in awe. “I would have loved to hear those pieces. I’m sure they were beautiful and would have been used by skaters all across the world. Why did you never release them?”

Yuuri seemed to tense up again just a bit at the question, but thankfully he didn’t completely clam up as he had done earlier. Yuuri shrugged slightly in the little space they had and mused, “I dunno… they just never felt complete, I guess. And based on the competitions I watched; I never really saw anyone who would have been able to skate it the way I envisioned.”

Victor thought he saw a bit of hesitation and insecurity in Yuuri’s voice but it wasn’t really his place to interject. He had to remember that they weren’t actually friends. To Yuuri, he was just a doorman who happened to be a fan of the band and share some of the same interests as him.

Victor gave Yuuri a soft, understanding smile and said, “Well, I’m sure the music still sounded beautiful, even if they’ll only ever be skated to by invisible dancers.”

Yuuri cocked his head a little as he processed Victor’s words. It looked like Yuuri was about to continue and say something else, but at that moment, the elevator doors dinged, signaling that they were on the right floor.

As the doors slide open slowly and they all filed their way out of the lift, the skating conversation drifted away. Victor wished that he had the time to continue. He wanted to know more about Yuuri and his combined love for music and skating, but Victor could tell that the moment had already passed.

Besides, they weren’t far from the rooms that the group had reserved. As they progressed quietly down the hallway, Victor eventually stopped in front of the correct rooms. “Alright, so these two rooms are yours, room 108 and 109. There are four ID cards in the packet that I handed to Phichit. However, there are only two for each room and can only unlock the room they’ve been assigned to,” Victor explained. “And if you lose a key card, just stop down in the lobby and we can make you a new one for a small replacement fee.”

“Good to know,” Phichit laughed.

“Well, I will leave you four to get some rest,” Victor said with a polite nod as he passed the hamsters back to Phichit. “If there’s anything you guys need, or if you want to order room service, just call down to the front desk. The directory numbers are listed on the phone.

“Thank you,” Otabek hummed, nodding back politely at Victor.

Beside him, Phichit suddenly exclaimed, “Smile everyone!”

Surprised by the outburst, Victor turned to look at Phichit who now had his phone out, camera open in selfie mode and his hamsters clutched tightly in one hand.

Victor’s eyes widened in momentarily, just as Phichit snapped the photo, forever immortalizing Victor’s stunned expression.

“One more,” Phichit beamed. “Everyone smile for real this time!”

More prepared, this time, Victor managed to smile for the camera just before the picture was taken.

“Ah, perfect,” Phichit bubbled, lowering the phone and opening his photo gallery to view the picture.

“Peach,” Yuuri grimaced. “We all look like trash, why would you want to take a picture right now?”

“Nonsense,” Phichit scoffed. “You all look gorgeous. I just had to capture this moment with our lovely hotel concierge, Victor. What was your last name Víctor?”

"Uh, Nikiforov," Victor supplied, still a little stunned. He knew Phichit liked taking random pictures of people he was with and places they were to post online, but he hadn’t expected him to take a picture here.

"Nikiforov," Phichit murmured, getting a feel for the Russian name. "Well, Mr. Nikiforov-"

"Please, just Victor is fine, " Victor broke in.

"Very well," Phichit chuckled. "I am glad we met tonight, Victor. I hope I run into more during our stay here ‘cause I still want to buy you a beer and hear your hotel horror stories."

Victor shook his head in disbelief, a smile on his face as he said, “Come find me when I’m on break. I don’t usually wander too far.”

“Will, do,” Phichit beamed back as he started to hand everyone their key access cards.

“Have a good night guys,” Victor called as he turned to walk back towards the elevator.

As he went, Victor felt like he was floating on a bed of clouds. His exhaustion mostly forgotten as he made his way back downstairs. Glancing at his watch, Victor realized that it was well past his scheduled clock-out time, but for once, he couldn’t bring himself to care.

* * *

Yuuri was exhausted. He just wanted to flop down on the best as he was and fall asleep here and now. Travel always took a lot out of him, especially when they were on tour. The constant flights from place to place left Yuuri in a constant state of confusion and disorientation. By the end of their tours, Yuuri often had no idea what country or state or was on, what continent he was on, or even what time zone that he was in. Touring was hard and never failed to make Yuuri feel drained.

As Yuuri set his luggage down on his side of the room, he silently prayed that Phichit didn’t want to have a conversation. He loved his friend to pieces, but Yuuri was too exhausted to maintain an in-depth conversation.

However, no sooner than the thought crossed his mind, Phichit decided that it was a good time to start talking.

“So, Yuuri,” Phichit’s drawled a note of smugness underlying his tone. Yuuri had a sneaking suspicion that he wasn’t going to like the next words that were about to come out of his friends’ mouth. That tone never meant good things for Yuuri. “Victor was pretty cute, wasn’t he?”

Yuuri was glad his back was toward Phichit so he wouldn’t see the flush that blossomed on his cheeks. He knew this was coming. Phichit never missed a thing. Maybe if he played things cool and acted unphased then Phichit would drop the subject. “Was he?” hummed, hoping that Phichit didn’t pick up on the slight note of nervousness in his voice.

“Oh, come on Yuuri,” Phichit groaned, moving behind Yuuri to drape his body over him. “I’ve never seen you get _that_ flustered and tongue-tied around a cute guy and I don’t think I’ve ever heard you mention your ice-skating music to anyone outside of the band.”

“Peachh…” Yuuri groaned, trying to pull away from his friend’s octopi arms and disengage from this conversation. Phichit simply held him tighter to Yuuri’s irritation.

“Hmmm…” Phichit whispered airily against Yuuri’s neck. “Well, I’m pretty sure he likes you too.”

“He seemed to like all of us,” Yuuri protested, Phichit’s words coupled with his hot breath sent shivers up his spine. His body was such a traitor. “I’m sure it’s only because he’s a fan of our music.”

“I think it might be a little more than that,” Phichit insisted I don’t think he took his eyes off of you once after you came in the room,” Phichit insisted.

“_Peach, he’s a fan.”_ Yuuri reiterated. He knew where Phichit was trying to go with this Yuuri didn’t like it. Yuuri had no interest in getting involved with fans on a sexual or romantic level, regardless of how attractive they may be. Getting involved with a fan was just _asking _for trouble and Yuuri wanted no part of that.

“So?” Phichit huffed in frustration. “Most of our fans aren’t incredibly hot, silver hair guys that actually seem to be genuine _and _right around our general age.”

"Peach, you literally don't know anything about this man," Yuuri groaned. "He could be one of those obsessed stalker fans for all you know."

Phichit brushed off Yuuri's concerns as he said, "I highly doubt that. I didn't get any of those vibes him. I was talking to him for quite a while before the rest of you showed up. When I first walked in, he couldn’t see my face so he didn’t know who I was, but after he did find out he didn’t treat me any differently. Most of the people we meet don’t do that. Plus, you heard all the things he said when you all walked in. Our fame didn’t seem to matter to him.”

“People can say a lot of stuff,” Yuuri retorted. “You know I don’t want to get involved with fans.”

Phichit sighed heavily at that. Yuuri had presented this argument to Phichit more times than he cared to count and it frustrated his friend more and more every time. Yuuri could tell without looking at him that his face was pinched up in irritation, brows pinched together to create a small crease.

“Look,” Phichit began wearily. “Just because we’re famous doesn’t mean you can’t get to know someone, even if they _are_ fans of our music. That doesn’t mean that they’re bad people or like you just because of our fame. It might not hurt to try and get to know some other people outside of the band. I mean, have you really even tried to make friends or even date someone since we had our big break?”

“Alright, that’s enough,” Yuuri finally snapped, pulling away from the entangled snare of Phichit’s octopi arms. Guilt pooled in Yuuri stomach as he caught the brief flash of hurt and concern cross over Phichit’s face. “I’m sorry, it’s just been a long day and I am in serious need of a shower, food, and sleep though not necessarily in that order. I don’t really want to talk about this right now.”

Phichit put his hands up in surrender, looking a little disappointed as he backed off. He knew that Phichit was just trying to look out for him, but there were just some things that he wished could be left alone.

“You’re right, I’m sorry,” Phichit relented. “I’m with you there, I think I’m running on fumes right now. Some sleep would do us some of good.”

Yuuri nodded, the tension in his shoulders easing a little, though he could feel nervous energy coursing through his veins. He was thankful that Phichit dropped the subject, but he knew that this conversation was far from over. Phichit was probably going to try and bring it up again early tomorrow morning but at least could be a little more prepared and have a full night’s worth of sleep to help him get through it.

“I’m going to go shower before I forget how to keep myself upright,” Yuuri mumbled, grabbing a fresh change of clothes from his suitcase.

“Okay, don’t use all the hot water,” Phichit called after him as he flopped down onto one of the beds.

After shutting the bathroom door, Yuuri took a deep breath and turned on the shower water. Once, the shower water was on and loud enough to hide his wheezing breaths of distress, he pressed his head against the cool wooden surface of the door. With his eyes closed, Yuuri just stood there, counting his breaths as he tried to calm his thoughts and clear his head. His whole body was tense with stress and anxiety and he tried to will the feeling away. His conversation with Phichit had been more overwhelming than he’d let on and Yuuri wanted to just wish all of his problems away. He hated that something so small could get him this worked up. Some day it felt like his life was completely overtaken and controlled by his anxiety.

Yuuri wasn’t sure how much time passed, but eventually, the tightness in his chest eased and his breathing started to feel easier again. As he stepped away from the door, he quickly stripped down and stepped into the shower, letting the hot spray of water helping to soothe his tired muscles.

As he quickly washed up, he couldn’t help thinking about how ready he was to be done with their final show. It felt like they had been on this same tour for years, even though it only spanned over the course of a couple of months. Touring was always incredibly taxing for Yuuri, going from place to place, night after night just took so much out of him. Sometimes they would perform five or six days in a row, hosting back to back shows that left Yuuri feeling more like a zombie than an actual human being. Of course, it was exhausting to the rest of the band too, but it still weighed on Yuuri far differently than it did on the others.

Of course, Yuuri loved being able to share the music they made with the world, but there were days where he just wanted a break from it all. It was starting to seem like those days were happening more and more frequently as time progressed. Sometimes, Yuuri wished the fame would just go away so he could go back to the normal, uninteresting college student he’d been before all the fame. He wanted to go back to the days when Phichit, Otabek, Minami and he were just a group of friends who shared a four-person dorm and played music for fun in their free time.

Now, Yuuri couldn’t walk down the street without being recognized by someone over-enthusiastic fan. He couldn’t go to the bank or eat dinner at a restaurant without signing an autograph or ducking out of sight of the paparazzi. Once people found out where he was, they would flock to his location in waves. All of it was just so overwhelming for Yuuri and as a result, he started going out less and less on his own.

This kind of life had never been something Yuuri imagined he’d be living or was it really the kind of life he had wanted to live. He hadn’t gotten into music with the intent of achieving fame. Yuuri remembered how excited everyone had been when they were offered a contract with an actual record label. In the beginning, Yuuri had actually been excited then too, despite his nervousness. His bandmates’ excitement had been incredibly contagious. Now though, deep down, Yuuri sometimes wished they had never been offered the record deal.

It had been exciting at first, it really had. They got the opportunity to play in a nice recording studio with professional recording equipment instead of the old, rundown and mostly broken equipment in the recording studio in their university’s music department. Their manager, Celestino hired former prima ballerina and world renounced dance choreographer, Lilla Baranoskiva to help coach them through different dance choreography for their music. When flipping through different radio stations, you would hear their music on nearly every channel and they were getting interview offers left and right. Everyone was talking about them and their revolutionary genre of music. People across the globe were suddenly paying attention to the four international students in Detroit as they made waves in the music industry.

However, Yuuri soon began to see the darker side of the music industry. He remembered the pain of their endless fight with producers and their manager for the control of what music they produced. Since they were considered a boy band, their record label tried to dictate the type of music they produced and the choreography they used in music videos and at their live shows. They had to fight with their producer, Celestino at first because he hadn’t been sure if allowing them to have their independence was the best direction for the band, but thankfully eventually came around. Together, they convinced the label to allow them to have free reign on their musical direction and dance style. Yuuri was almost certain that the band would have completely crumbled otherwise.

As their fame continued to grow and their popularity became more recognized, Yuuri had also started to see how the people around them changed. Since they had still been in college when they were signed, many of their friends began to treat them all differently. People who had never talked to them started to approach them and try to get close just because of their fame. It made Yuuri realize just how fake everyone really was, even the people he had been friends with before the fame. The thought of it made Yuuri feel sick to his stomach.

Even before their rise to fame, Yuuri had never been a particularly social person. He often preferred the solitude of his own room or the quiet chill of an empty ice rink growing up. The silence let him clear his mind and allow the music in his heart to flow freely.

When he had decided to go to college in the United States to pursue a degree in music, his roommate, Phichit Chulanont made it impossible for Yuuri to keep himself secluded and it forced Yuuri to open up a little. Phichit had a contagious personality and once Yuuri got used to his outgoing personality, it became clear that they would become lifelong friends. When he learned that Phichit, who was majoring in dance, also had an interest in writing and creating music, Yuuri couldn’t help thinking that he made the right choice to study in the states. Together, Yuuri knew that they could take on the world, but he hadn’t expected that to become quite so literal.

The small strides that Yuuri had taken with Phichit and later, the rest of the band, wasn’t nearly enough to prepare him for the attention that came with fame. There were too many parties, too many people and too many big social events that they were expected to attend. Yuuri just couldn’t handle that kind of stress. _Well, not as himself at least._

As their name began to grow, Phichit had noticed just how hard it was for Yuuri to deal with. His friend had suggested that Yuuri take on a fake persona that he could wear for the public so he would feel so exposed. At the time, it had seemed like such a great idea, he could pretend to be someone other than the shy, quiet, anxious Yuuri Katsuki. That type of image just wasn’t one that the world was ready to see and Yuuri knew it.

After some brainstorming with Phichit, the two of them (mostly Phichit) came up with the idea of the sexy playboy persona. It was so opposite from who Yuuri actually was, that he hadn’t even been sure he would be able to pull it off. Yuuri had been hesitant about the idea but somehow, he’d let Phichit convince him that everything would be fine and it was fine, for a while at least. The world had eaten up his sexy, devious persona and tabloid raved about how he just oozed with an unmatchable level of eros.

However, the stress of trying to keep up this false image of himself was far more taxing than Yuuri had ever expected. Part of him wished that he decided against a fake persona. He would have much rather blended into the background, letting the other bask in all the fame while he just tagged along for the ride.

Yuuri hated how shallow and fake upholding this persona made him feel. He felt like the stress and pressure from the media was consuming him and taking control of his life. Yuuri felt like he was becoming exactly like the things he hated most about the music industry.

To the world, the four of them were untouchable, perfect, flawless people who could do no wrong. But Yuuri fully understood how much of a lie that was. His anxiety constantly ate at him and sometimes it felt like he was drowning beneath the pressure. If anyone outside of their band learned of his fake persona, they would surely hate him for it. People would call him a liar and a cheat. They would see the real Yuuri who suffered from crippling anxiety and depression. They would see the Yuuri who had to watch what he ate and exercise frequently because he gained weight too easily. Everyone would hate the Yuuri who enjoyed hiding in a quiet room by himself to play piano for hours on end.

If any of them knew that was who the real Yuuri was, no one would be calling him perfect. They would shun and mock him for the rest of eternity and Yuuri wasn’t ready to deal with that. He was terribly flawed and not cut out to be the face of the music revolution. Yuuri didn’t understand why people screamed his name, put posters of him on their walls and wore shirts plastered with his smiling face. It was just so fake, all of it was fake. Their love for him was fake, the version of him they saw was fake, the smile he wore every day was fake. All of it was a lie and the guilt ate Yuuri up inside.

Being famous was lonely. Even though he now had millions of people who showered him with love, Yuuri had never felt more alone. Yuuri could feel himself starting to fall apart at the seams.

This past year had so far been the hardest. Everyone was driving him to keep moving forward and bring life to the word by way of music, but the music in his soul was getting harder to hear. The words and the notes that once shone so bright as he put pen to paper and start to crumble and fade. It seemed like no matter how much music they created; people were always demanding more.

The pressure to constantly create new music like a machine was killing the spark of passion Yuuri once felt. As a child, music had been what he turned to when he was unable to improve his skating. He had always admired the skill and beauty of ice skaters so when he was unable to replicate that on the ice, he settled for trying to write the music that skaters used to help tell their story. To Yuuri’s surprise, he was actually pretty good and much to his surprise, music helped to soothe his anxiety when things got bad. Though he never shared his skating music with anyone as he’d never found the right person to show it to, it didn’t stop him from creating music from all genres. Stringing various notes, instruments, and lyrics together to make something beautiful was such an amazing and rewarding feeling.

However, he no longer felt that feeling as he created new songs. No matter how hard he tried, everything he wrote seemed to be missing something and Yuuri knew that others were starting to notice too. He was very aware of the mixed feedback they had received for their last album. There had been plenty of people who loved the album, but there had been more who disliked what they had produced.

Yuuri wasn’t stupid, he knew full well that most of the songs that had been negatively reviewed were the ones that he had produced. He was sure that everyone could tell that he was starting to lose heart and spirit. Yuuri was single-handedly dragging down their band's fame and success. Yuuri had no idea how they were going to pull off the production of a fourth album after they recovered from this tour. He didn’t have enough motivation to get through another album. All his bandmates were already coming up with new material for their album while the book that Yuuri wrote all his musical ideas into hadn’t been touched since they released their latest album. 

Yuuri groaned to himself in frustration. No matter how hard he tried, he had been unable to string together a single new song. Usually, songs just started playing in his mind and he would quickly write them down so he could develop them more fully when he had more time. However, the longer they had been in the music industry, the quieter the music in his head became, until one day, it had just gone silent. He had tried to find the music again countless times, with no success and Yuuri didn’t know what to do.

He cut off the water with a grimace and quickly wrapped himself in one of the hotel’s fluffy silver-blue towels. He shivered as he stepped out of the shower and into the cool humid air of the bathroom.

As he dried himself, Yuuri thought back to the hotel concierge that they had met in the lobby. Distantly he registered that the towel in his hands was reminiscent of the man’s silver hair. He couldn’t deny that the man had been quite attractive and if Yuuri had a type, that would certainly be it. What was his name again… Victor?

Yuuri couldn’t recall the last time someone had caught his attention the way he had. Phichit had been right, he’d never told anyone outside of the band about the ice-skating routine music he’d written. He couldn’t even remember the last time he’d talked about ice skating. Something about Victor had made Yuuri lower his defenses and let a glimpse of the real him shine through. Somehow, his real self hadn’t scared Victor away like he would have expected.

Still, that didn’t change the fact that Victor was a fan, which meant that he was just as fake as the rest of the world. After their rise to fame, Yuuri vowed not to get personally involved with a fan, regardless of how attractive they might be. He could never tell when someone wanted to get close to him to take advantage of him because of his fame and Yuuri wasn’t willing to take that kind of risk with random everyday people.

The others, however, didn’t seem to have the same mindset as Yuuri did. The rest of the band all had little flings or gained friendships at one point or another with some of the fans they had met along the way but Yuuri just couldn’t do the same. He was too scared that someone would figure out who he really was and spill his secret to the world. Yuuri honestly couldn’t remember the last time he let someone get to know him well enough to become a friend and he’d never actually been in a relationship with anyone even before he became famous. Now that he was a household name, Yuuri was sure that he would never have the chance to find love because of his own insecurities. As time moved on, this thought became more and more disheartening to Yuuri.

Yuuri knew that his bandmates had started to notice his lack of engagement too and they frequently expressed their concern for him. Most of the time, he was able to dodge to the subject or brushed it off, just as he had done to Phichit tonight, but he knew he wouldn’t be able to escape from it for much longer.

Now that he wasn’t able to write music anymore, Yuuri wasn’t sure how much longer he could stay in the band. All he did was bring them down for their last album and now, with his lack of inspiration, Yuuri was feeling worse and worse.

After they finished up this last show, Yuuri planned on announcing to everyone that he was leaving. The longer they had been on tour, the more dejected Yuuri had grown. He’d been thinking about it for weeks, but he would never abandon his crew while they were still touring. Yuuri wasn’t that terrible of a person and he would never do that to the friends who had been so supportive of him for so long. After this weekend though, Yuuri _was_ going to tell them. He knew he was going to be letting down so many people, but at least _On Love _would be able to flourish again without his negative energy.

A knock at the door finally pulled Yuuri from his dark thoughts followed by Phichit groaning his name from the other side. “Yuuriii….” He sounded absolutely drained. “You know I don’t normally rush you but I still need a shower while I can still keep my eyes open.”

“I’m so sorry Phichit,” Yuuri apologize, dressing quickly. He hadn’t meant to take up so much time in the bathroom. “Time is kind of blurring together right now.”

“No worries,” Phichit said with a soft laugh. “Part of me started to wonder if you’d fallen asleep on the shower floor.”

Yuuri laughed and wrinkled his nose, “God, that would be disgusting.”

“Yeah, it would be,” Phichit agreed as Yuuri finally opened the door, fresh air flooding into the bathroom.

Yuuri just shook his head when he saw Phichit. His friend was sitting on the floor next to the bathroom door, head resting against the door frame, fresh clothes in his lap and his towel balanced on his head.

“You’re ridiculous,” Yuuri chucked as Phichit removed the towel from his head and lifted an arm for Yuuri to help pull him to his feet.

“Hi ridiculous, I’m tired,” Phichit mumbled, movement a little shaky as he stood. Then Phichit’s face crumpled in tired frustration, registering his own words and leaning against Yuuri as he said, “Wait… that’s not right…”

“You really must be tired if you messing up a dad joke,” Yuuri shook his head in amusement hugging Phichit lightly and lifted a hand to stroke his friend’s hair.

“Mmmm…” Phichit hummed against Yuuri’s chest.

“Okay now,” Yuuri chuckled, patting Phichit’s head twice before he gently pushed him into the bathroom, adding, “Don’t fall asleep in there, remember, there is a soft bed waiting out here for you.”

“Mmhhm a bed sounds nice,” Phichit mused groggily, nodding to Yuuri once, eyelids drooping before he shut the bathroom door.

As he heard the shower water turn on, Yuuri put aside his dirty clothes and turned on the lamp between the beds. Then, he turned off the main lights and clambered beneath the blankets. Yuuri wanted to weep in relief as he settled down on the mattress. It was so soft and the blankets were heavy and warm, whispering soft soothing words against his skin.

His eyelids fluttered once, twice, three times before they fell and remained shut. Yuuri could feel himself sinking into unconsciousness, sleep welcoming him into its warm embrace. Behind his closed lids, a tall, mysterious many with ocean blue eyes and silvery locks began drifting into his subconscious.

* * *

Victor was practically humming with energy and excitement from the moment he woke up the next morning. He had actually woken up a good hour before his alarm even went off, which rarely happened unless Makka woke him so she could go out to do her business or because she was hungry. He tried once or twice to go back to sleep so he could get that extra hour of sleep, but his eager brain had other plans so he eventually got up to get breakfast and some coffee.

As Victor came bounding out of his bedroom and into the kitchen, it was clear that he wasn’t the only one who was surprised to see him up so early. Chris didn’t bother to hide his shock as he watched Victor walk over to the coffeemaker and pour himself of a huge cup of coffee. As he fished a bottle of coffee creamer out of the fridge Chris finally asked, “Didn’t you get home at like 12:30 last night?”

“I did,” Victor confirmed, pouring in more creamer than was strictly necessary to mask the bitter tang of the strong coffee that Chris always brewed. Chris had a theory that Victor’s morning coffee was typically comprised of more creamer than coffee, but Victor didn’t care. He preferred his coffee on the sweet side while Chris drank his almost black. “I thought you were asleep. Did I wake you?”

“No, you didn’t, I took a late shower and heard you come in,” Chris answered, still looking at Victor as if he had grown a second heard. “You have somewhere to be early today?”

“Hmmm, nope,” Victor mused as he set his coffee aside and reached for the loaf of bread. “I don’t have work until 11 today. Why you need me to do something?” He looked up at Chris curiously as he popped two slices of bread into the toaster and pushed down the lever.

“Nope…” Chris hummed, popping the ‘p’ a little as he spoke. “I was just trying to figure out why you’re up at 8:30 in the morning.” Chris glanced at his watch for a moment before his eyes flicked back up to meet Victor’s. “I can’t remember the last time that you got up earlier than strictly necessary. Especially not on your own.”

Victor pouted, playing it up for just a moment as he said, “I can’t believe you have so little faith in me, Chris. Can’t a guy get up early once and a while?”

“Most people, yes. _You_… no, definitely not,” Chris snorted. “So, spill already. What has you wound up like a top and waking up with the sun?”

Victor’s level of excitement and anticipation was close to bubbling over. He quickly grabbed his toast as the toaster popped threw both pieces on a napkin and rushed to sit at the table with Chris. Chris simply raised his brow in amusement, not use to Victor being so bright and chipper this soon after waking up. Victor could see that the curiosity was slowly eating at Chris.

“Okay, soyou’renotgoingtofuckingbelievewhathappenedlastnight,” Victor blurted out in a messy jumble of words. In his excitement, Victor was tripping over his words, accent deepening drastically and heavily affecting the sounds of the English language as words spilled from his tongue. 

Chris lifted both hands to slow him, the corners of his lips now quirking up as he tried to comprehend the litany of words that Victor had just spat at him.

“Alright, let's try this again,” Chris chuckled, pausing a moment to let Victor regain his composure. “Take a deep breath, slow down and repeat what you just said.”

Victor’s cheeks flushed a little, but he did as Chris asked of him. As he exhaled, Victor repeated himself slower and more evenly. “Chris, you’re seriously _not_ going to believe what happened last night?”

“Did you win the lottery?” Chris teased.

“Better,” Victor answered, proud smile perched on his full lips.

“Oh?” Chris questioned, subtly leaning in closer, genuinely intrigued now.

“Last night, I got to meet the members of _On Love_,” Victor swooned, voice barely above a whisper as if saying it out loud would make seem it less real. “They’re staying at the hotel I work at.”

Chris’ lips part slightly, processing the weight of Victor’s words. When Chris’ eyes started to slowly widen, Victor knew that Chris was starting to understand. “You can’t be serious?” he breathed; his shock clearly pronounced.

“Oh, I am quite serious,” Victor confirmed.

“Tell me everything,” Chris blurted, eyes alight with anticipation.

Victor quickly obliged to the request and started to relay the night’s events to his flatmate. Chris clung to every word and wasn’t afraid to interrupt and asking him questions about everything. It was obvious that Chris was absolutely stunned and intrigued by this interesting turn of events.

At the end of his story, Chris’s first real response was, “I can’t believe you fucking turned down an autograph from the whole band. What the hell is wrong with you Victor?”

Victor shrugged, “I dunno, it just didn’t feel right, I guess. Plus, I can get in a lot of trouble if I ask for or accept autographs from someone while on the clock.”

“But I mean, _they were the ones offering_!” Chris insisted, shaking his head as he tried to understand the point behind Victor’s logic.

“It doesn’t matter, it would still violate company policy,” Victor huffed. He pursed his lips and added, “And either way like I said it just didn’t feel right. I didn’t want him to feel like he was pressured to meet any kind of expectation around me. Like, I’m the employee, he’s the customer. Simple as that. I didn’t want to make him feel objectified or anything.”

Chris shook his head with something almost resembling amusement. “You know, aside from me, you are one of the most dramatic people in the world.”

“Must be why we’re such good friends then,” Victor answered as Makkachin joined them in the kitchen and came to nose at Victor’s leg. “I’ve seen how people treat you when we’re out in public and the come up to asking for an autograph. They have no real regard for anything around them or what you might be doing at the time and I didn’t want to be that guy. Living with someone who is sort of famous makes you look differently at anyone with celebrity status.”

Chris considers that for a moment then shrugs in agreement. “You are too damn good to people and you don’t even realize it, Victor,” Chris noted with a shake of his head. “So, what are you going to do now?”

“Wait, what do you mean?” Victor asked, cocking his head in confusion as Makka joined them in the kitchen and started nuzzling Victor’s leg.

Victor scratched her head affectionately and stood to get her breakfast served, his own breakfast not mostly forgotten.

“Are you going to try and use your charms to seduce the alluring Katsuki?” Chris asked as Makka wagged her tail wagging in excitement, watching as Victor poured pebbles of food fill her bowl.

Victor nearly spilled the entire bag of dog food onto the kitchen floor at Chris’ words. Kibbles of food missed the metal bowl and went skittering aimlessly across the floor. Makkachin chased eagerly after the stray pieces as Victor quickly set down what was left of the bag and scrambled to pick up the bits of food before his fluffy vacuum cleaner beat him to it.

“I’m not going to do anything Chris,” Victor huffed, his palm quickly filling with brown bits of dog food as he scrambled to clean up his mess. “And you aren’t going to anything either. I have a fucking job to do and I am not ready to go looking for a new one just yet.”

“Who said I was going to try anything?” Chris asked. Something in the tone of Chris’ voice was just a little too innocent sounding for Victor’s liking. He knew better than to trust that tone of voice.

As Victor straightened, he tossed out the stray kibbles he collected from the floor while Makka moved onto her bowl to munch on the rest of her breakfast. “I’m serious Chris. I’m going to go to work and do my job the same way I do every day. I don’t have the luxury of being a model for the cover of big-name magazines like you do man and I’m not going to try and stalk the band. Besides, I probably won’t even see any of them again.”

“Sure, you will,” Chris scoffed. “The place isn’t _that_ big.”

“It’s actually bigger than you realize,” Victor insisted. “And celebrities are good at hiding and moving undercover to avoid the paparazzi, which you should fully understand. That’s probably why they checked in so late last night. There were far fewer people to see them and stop them.”

“Yeah maybe,” Chris mused. “But I have a good feeling about this.”

“If you show up anywhere within five-hundred meters of my work while they are staying at the hotel, I will not only move out, I will also send Mila to kick your ass,” Victor threatened.

“Fine, fine, you win,” Chris surrendered, raising both hands in a sign of defeat, but Victor still had his doubts.

Over the years, Chris had gotten Victor in far more trouble than he cared to admit and he had a feeling that one way or another Chris was going to get him in trouble once again. Chris usually didn’t mean to get them in trouble, but oftentimes, his ideas were so wildly outrageous that there was no way someone wasn’t going to get in trouble. Chris was an evil scheming bastard and sometimes Victor wondered why they were even fucking friends.

“Whatever Chris,” Victor huffed, his excitement from earlier a little subdued now thanks to Chris’ mischievous plotting. “I need a shower before work. I think I might even have time to stop by that delightful bagel place to grab something for lunch since I got up so early today!”

“Depends on how long you take to get ready,” Chris teased as Victor put his now empty cup of coffee in the sink. “When you’re trying to catch someone’s attention you tend to take quite a while in the bathroom.”

Victor ground his teeth together to bite back a sarcastic remark. In lieu of a response, Victor just raised his hand and flipped Chris off as he walked toward his bedroom. Behind him, he could hear Chris trying to hold back his mirthful giggles. It was going to be a very long week.

* * *

Since he wasn’t running late for once, Victor took his time to get ready. He stood under the hot spray of the shower water until it began to run cold, his muscles loose and relaxed, not really caring if Chris needed a shower too. Victor was feeling a little bitter toward his friend right now and Chris could wait a little while for it to warm back up again. There had been far too many times when Chris had used up all the warm water too, leaving Victor with nothing but a miserable icy spray. He hoped Chris was ready for some unpleasant payback. 

As got out of the shower and began to dry himself off, Victor’s phone started to vibrate violently on the counter. Victor just rolled his eyes a little and ignored the insistent buzzing sound his phone made against the porcelain countertop without bothering to check to caller ID. Anyone who had Victor’s number would never call him this early, knowing that he didn’t wake up until _at least_ 9:30. So, that meant whoever had been calling was either a telemarketer trying to scam him into giving up his bank information or someone dialing the wrong number. Chris was the only one who actually knew he was awake right now and if he wanted something, he'd have just come into the bathroom without even a knock. Victor had gotten used to this over the years and still, he rarely locked his door unless he really wanted some privacy. It wasn’t like he had anything to hide, Chris seen him naked plenty of times in the past. They had fooled around and experimented with one another quite a bit during their college years so Victor wasn’t too phased about being naked around one another.

Victor’s phone buzzed a second time as he now got a text message and once again, he ignored it. Honestly, it was probably Yakov texting him asking him to come in early today. He could check the message later; Victor wasn’t done making himself beautiful yet. Honestly though, if Yakov needed him to come in early, he totally would because well… money and he was a little too energetic to just sit around his apartment until he had to leave for his shit. Plus, there was the slim chance that he’d run into Yuuri again. He knows what he told Chris, but if the opportunity to talk with Yuuri happened again, he wouldn’t pass it up. Victor just wasn’t going to try stalking the poor guy down.

When the first text was then followed up with a second text and a third, Victor’s started to get a little concerned. Yakov would never send this many text messages in a row. He was always very perfunctory with his messages and never typed a text large enough to fit into a single message. When his phone started ringing again, Victor really started to worry that something was actually wrong. There would be no other reason for someone to spam his phone this early unless there was a serious emergency.

His heart was beating wildly in his throat as he lifted his device and saw Yuri’s name flashing at him on the Caller ID. He frowned, trying to soothe the panic that was threatening to flood through his veins. Yura never called him, like ever, he preferred texting over calling as most of the younger generation of kids did.

Victor let out a shaky breath to calm himself and then quickly answered the phone before the ringing could stop again. "Yura, what's wrong, what happened?" Victor asked, more breathlessly than he had meant.

"Thank god, you finally picked up,” Yuri’s gruff voice hummed over the line. “You sure are a heavy sleeper old man.”

“Are you okay? Do you need me to come to meet you somewhere?” Victor ignored Yuri’s comment, already thinking of how quickly he would be able to finish getting dressed and rush to his car.

“Calm down, dumbass, I’m fine,” Yuri huffed, a small note of irritation in his voice.

Victor paused, adrenaline still coursing through his body as he tried to comprehend what was going on. “What do you mean? Why are you calling me then Yura?” he asked dumbly.

“Damn, if you didn’t want me to call you could have just refused to give me your number.” Victor could hear Yuri’s sneer through the phone and knew the boy was about three seconds from hanging upon him.

“No wait, I didn’t mean it like that,” Victor blurted, not wanting to give Yuri the wrong idea. “I’m just surprised is all. You never call me. And you know I’m not normally awake this early.”

“Well duh, why do you think I kept calling and messaging you?” Yuri asked like his answer was completely logical and obvious.

“I typically keep my phone on silent or vibrate at night just so no one can wake me up like that,” Victor chuckled. “But lucky for you, I was already awake.”

“Damn, hell really must be freezing over today if you are awake before 10 am,” Yuri scoffed

Victor thought back to last night’s events and hummed his agreement. “Yeah, maybe, but what was it again that was important enough to try and wake me up at what I normally consider to be an ungodly hour?”

He hears Yuri suck in a breath over the phone, as he remembers the point of the call, “Oh, right, you, Nikiforov, have some fucking explaining to do.”

“What?” Victor questioned. “Did I forget something important again?”

Victor knew he had earned a bad reputation for being forgetful among his friends. He really didn’t mean to be so forgetful and scatterbrained, but his fleeting attention span often made things rather complicated. His friends, for the most part, were understanding, but Yuri never passed up the opportunity to dog him out when he forgot something important.

“Uh, _yes,_” Yuri spat.

Victor tried to wrack his brain, but he wasn’t coming up with anything.

“I’m going to need a little more to go off of Yura,” Victor finally had to prompt.

Yuri sighed heavily on his phone before he huffed, “Why the _hell _is there a fucking picture of you on Instagram with members of On Love?”

“What?” Victor hissed, shock hitting him like a ton of bricks. He didn’t remember posting any pictures before bed last night and he hadn’t actually taken any pictures of the band on his phone. “I don’t…”

“Don’t you dare try to say that you don’t know what I’m talking about,” Yuri warned. “I saw the picture that the Thai boy posted last night!”

“Phichit?” Victor questioned, memories of Phichit taking a surprise group picture of them all last night. “Wait, did he post that picture?”

“Ha, so you did know about the picture!” Yuri practically screamed through the phone. Victor had to hold the device away from his ear at Yuri’s sudden volume increase.

Distantly, on the other side of the phone, Victor hear Mila’s voice call, “Yuri, inside voice!”

“Are you at work?” Victor questioned.

“Mind your own business hag, I’m taking a break,” Yuri roared back, though he actually did lower his voice significantly after Mila’s scolding.

“Da, where else would I be?” Yuri scoffed. “But you still haven’t answered my question. Why didn’t you tell me about this?”

“There wasn’t any time to tell you,” Victor insisted. “I seriously haven’t even seen the picture you’re talking about.”

Yuri huffed again and said, “Hang on, check your phone, I’m about to send it to you.”

Victor pulled his phone away from his ear and put Yuri on speakerphone as he waited for the image to come in.

“There, now look at it,” Yuri said a few moments later as a text message appeared on his phone. Victor now had four texts from Yuri and he quickly opened the message to view what had been sent.

The first three messages were just comprised of Yuri complaining about how old and deaf he was, which Victor chose to ignore. The fourth message, however, was the one that caught Victor’s attention. It was a screenshot from Yuri’s phone and as he enlarged the image, Victor’s eyes immediately landed on Yuuri’s wide-eyed, surprised expression.

He looked absolutely beautiful, as he did in every photo, even when he was so tired that he could barely stand up. Slowly, Victor’s eyes roved the rest of the picture, noting the curious, surprised, and perturbed looks on the face of everyone beside Phichit. When he finally looked at his own image in the photo, Victor cringed. Of course, Phichit chose to post the first picture where Victor hadn’t had the time to smile. His own face was frozen in a half-surprised half concerned expression that was certainly not all that attractive. Victor wanted to die. The only non-photoshopped photo with him and the members of On Love had to be one where he looked absolutely ridiculous. Victor winced a little when he saw just how many people had liked the photo as well. Maybe it was time for him to never show his face in public again.

He wished that he had possessed the same photogenic abilities as Chris did. Chris looked good in every photo he took, regardless of if it was planned or not. Victor couldn’t help being jealous of his friend ridiculously perfect photo-taking skills. Over the years, Victor had really tried to get just one _bad _picture of Chris, but so far, he had never once been successful. Sometimes Victor wondered if Chris was actually just some type of picture attracting alien.

“Hello, earth to Victor, you still there, old man” Yuri’s gruff voice called over the line.

“I look awful in this picture,” Victor groaned.

“That’s the only thing you got out of that?” Yuri scoffed incredulously. “I cannot believe you.”

“Well, I mean the others all look quite nice as well, if that’s what you mean,” Victor mused. “Especially Katsuki. He looked quite stunning in this photo. He’s like Chris and always takes good photos even when caught off guard.”

“I don’t even know why I bother with you,” Yuri berated him.

“What is it that you want me to say, Yura?” Victor asked, a little confused by the boy’s frustration.

“I want to know about it, of course!” Yuri answered swiftly. “What happened? _How _did this happen_?”_

Victor shrugged, mostly to himself as Yuri couldn’t see the motion. “I mean, they came in at late last night, almost at the end of my shift and I checked them in and helped them to their room.”

“Duuh,” Yuri vocalized. “Did you like, get their autographs or anything? Did you get something signed by Otabek?”

“You know, Chris asked me almost the same thing earlier,” Victor chuckled, setting the phone down on the counter as he finally started to get dressed. “And, I knew you had a thing for Otabek.”

“Shut up,” Yuri snapped quickly. “Also, why did that overdramatic fucker know about this before me? What the fuck Victor. I’m fucking blocking you forever don’t ever call me again,” Yuri growled. He was just being dramatic now. All of his friends were so damn dramatic.

“You’re the one who called me,” Victor pointed out. “He only found out about all of this about thirty minutes before you, and he has no idea that this picture exists yet.”

“Hmph, whatever” Yuri huffed, sounding just like the angsty teen Victor remembered from their days at the home. He couldn’t help but smile softly at the thought. After a minute though, Yuri asked, “You still didn’t answer my question though.”

Victor sighed and said, “No, I didn’t get any autographs. You know the rules at work, and it just didn’t feel right.” Victor felt like he was repeating himself for the hundredth time now. It seemed like all anyone cared about were autographs and Victor was a little frustrated at that. Autographs were just random signatures from someone you don’t actually know. He supposed they were cool in theory, but there were far better things than autographs.

“You are so lame,” Yuri grumbled, but he could tell that the boy understood at least part of the reason why he hadn’t accepted an autograph. “So, was he as cool in person as you expected him to be? You know, Katsuki?”

Victor much preferred this topic of discussion and he hummed dreamily through the line in response. “He didn’t really talk much, unfortunately, but when he did, Yuuri was absolutely mesmerizing. He was shy and adorable, and Yura he has this adorable blush he gets flustered or nervous. I didn’t know he wore glasses either but they look so nice on him! I just wanted to scoop him up into a hug and never let go,” Victor bubbled. “I think I’m in love. And don’t get me started on how perfect his ass-”

“Okay, I’ve heard enough,” Yuri quickly interjected. “Pretend like I didn’t ask. I forgot how gross and sappy that you get when you talk about him. I don’t need to hear all your fantasies about someone who is literally staying somewhere in this hotel.”

“You’re the one who brought it up,’ Victor pouted.

“I didn’t expect you to start talking about his ass though,” Yuri grumbled. “You better tell me more _non-ass _related details later on. I have to get back to the kitchen before Mila bites my head off again.”

Victor chuckled softly. “Okay Yura, I will, I promise.”

“Later loser,” Yuri wished him a quick fair well and ended the call before Victor could reply.

The Instagram photo on Victor screen stared quietly up at him, almost like it was trying to mock him. Victor quickly closed the photo and finished getting ready, distantly wondering why Phichit had even posted it in the first place.

* * *

Despite getting up early, Victor was still almost late to work and he didn’t have time to buy a bagel. He had spent far too long getting ready that morning coupled with the fact that after talking to Yuri, Victor had shown Chris the Instagram picture too. Chris had gushed over the image with Victor up until they realized that it was time for Victor to head to work.

After arriving at work, Victor quickly drowned under the massive waves of people who were checking in because of the concert this weekend. As he and Sara worked the desk, more than one person asked him if he was the guy from the Instagram photo Phichit posted. At first, he had simply told people yes, which made many of the female guests squeal in delight. However, when people started asking to take pictures with him, Victor had to deny their requests because one, it would be too disrupting to the sign-in process and two, he didn’t really want random pictures of himself floating all over the internet. Beside him, Victor could feel the strange looks that Sara was giving him and he was sure that he would have to explain later, but at the moment, things were just far too hectic.

Eventually, Victor started denying that he was the guy in the picture hoping to ease the attention he was receiving, but it didn’t really work. There weren’t too many people with silver hair who also just happened to work at the hotel Phichit had tagged in his photo. Much his dismay, even after he denied photo requests, he could see people out of the corners of his eye snapping pictures of him from a slight distance. As much as he longed to tell everyone off, he knew that it was out of the question so it was just easier to ignore it altogether.

Eventually, Victor couldn’t take it anymore and he asked Mila to help Sara watch the desk while he took a short break. Victor soon found his way to the dining hall, sitting alone in a far corner of the room to avoid the attention of the half-dozen patrons on the room. Since the dining hall was slow, and it was between meals, Victor had convinced Yuri to give him one of the leftover bagels from breakfast to eat on his break.

Normally, he liked to browse Spotify for new music, he could add to his favorite skating playlist on his break. Skating was always more fun and freeing when he found music that he could lose himself to on the ice. His current playlist already had four hours’ worth of music on it and yet that still wasn’t enough. However, he just couldn’t get in the right mindset and found himself scrolling through social media instead. Victor grimaced a little when he saw that #onlovemysteryreceptionist was trending on twitter. It didn’t take a genius to figure out who the tag was referring to. Victor quickly switched over to Instagram and took care to avoid the seemingly popular tag.

Victor was so absorbed in his phone that he didn’t realize someone had joined him at the table until they said, “I hope that picture I posted hasn’t caused you too much trouble.”

Victor jumped and looked up quickly, finally noticing that he had been joined by none other than Phichit Chulanont.

“The picture?” Victor murmured slowly before his brain finally put the pieces together. “Oh, right, it’s fine, don’t worry.”

Phichit grimaced a little and said, “I can take it down if you want. I saw the twitter hashtags.”

Victor brushed the offer aside with a wave of his hand. “Honestly, this will blow over in a day or two and no one will remember it ever happened. Social media is fleeting like that.”

“Isn’t it making your job a little harder though?” Phichit pressed, the concern on his face was clear.

“It’s not too terrible,” Victor shrugged. “It’s nothing I haven’t seen before. I’ll just be a little more popular among customers for the next couple of days.”

“Well if you’re sure…” Phichit mused. “Just know you can dm me anytime if you change your mind.”

Victor nodded in understanding. “I appreciate that.”

Phichit slouched a little in his chair and ran a hand through his dark hair. “Just so you know, Yuuri chewed me out for about 45 minutes after he saw that I posted the picture,” Phichit said conversationally. “Told me I shouldn’t have posted it without your permissions. Especially cause it might get you in trouble here at work.”

Victor laughed quietly and shook his head. He was a little stunned to hear that Yuuri cared so much about the photo being posted. “I don’t think my boss even knows what social media is so we’re fine. It was one of our younger staff members ideas to even create an Instagram page for the resort and they’d never say anything about this to my boss,” Victor hummed.

“Still, Yuuri was right,” Phichit stressed. “I should have asked first.”

“Honestly, it’s fine,” Victor insisted. “I appreciate the concern but it’s honestly not the end of the world. Though, you could have posted the photo where I was actually smiling,” he teased lightly.

Phichit’s cheeks flushed a little at that as he said, “Ah… well, that one actually came out blurry otherwise I would have.”

“It’s cool,” Victor laughed. “I’m not exactly one of the most photogenic people anyway.”

“Sure, you are,” Phichit said with a smile. “With a smile like yours, there's no way you can’t be photogenic.

“You’d be surprised,” Victor said with a slight grimace.

“Hey, so do you have an Instagram account?” Phichit asked suddenly.

Victor cocked his head curiously and asked, “Yeah, why?”

“What’s the username? I’d like to follow you if that’s alright.”

Victor’s brow rose in shock. There was no way that he had heard that right. There was no way one of his favorite celebrities wanted to follow him. “Uh, yeah sure… it's _V-Nikiforov_. I mostly just post pictures of my dog though._”_

“Oh, I love dogs,” Phichit exclaimed as he quickly pulled out his phone and pulled up Victor’s account. Moments later, Victor’s phone chimed with what was no doubt a new follow request.

Victor opened his own Instagram account and accepted the request. “Awesome, thanks!” Phichit beamed as he started scrolling through Victor’s collection of photos.

Phichit was quiet for a few moments as he looked through Victor’s account. Victor shifted a little uncomfortably in the silence and distracted himself by going through Phichit’s Instagram photos. Victor quickly liked and screenshot the picture from last night, the slowly scrolled through Phichit’s older photos

“You know, you look so familiar and I just can’t put my finger on why…” Phichit hummed after a few minutes of silence between them.

“What do you mean?” Victor asked in confusion.

Phichit leaned a little closer, staring at him hard like he was analyzing Victor as he said, “I dunno… I just feel like I’ve seen your face before. I thought that last night too, but I was too tired to really process anything. Have you ever been on TV or in the news for something?”

Victor shook his head. “Nope, honestly, like I said last night, I’m just an average college graduate who works at a hotel to pay off the rest of my college debt. So, until today, I’ve never really been famous or anything.”

“Hmm…” Phichit pondered that for a moment, squinting at Victor even harder. Victor couldn’t help shifting a little under the intense stare that Phichit had fixed him with. It was like the guy was trying to picking up his brain waves or something. “I think it's your hair that gives it away. That color isn’t exactly common. I’m sure I’ve seen you before.” 

Victor touched his hair a little self-consciously. He normally didn’t get self-conscious when people commented on his appearance or his unusual hair color, but something about Phichit’s personality was a little intimidating. Maybe it was Phichit’s fame that was making Victor feel too self-conscious. He wasn’t used to someone so popular scrutinizing him or paying him this much attention.

“I mean, I went to your show in here in Moscow last year, but I don’t think I stood out of the crowd that much,” Victor hummed noncommittally. “Plus, I was pretty far back, and there were a lot of people at that show.”

Victor thought back to the endless number of people that surround them at the show. He’d had to practically hold on to Yuri when walking through the stadium to prevent them from getting separated. Even the nose bleed seats at the back of the stadium, where they had sat, was practically full. Of course, the seats hadn’t been amazing but they were the best he could afford at the time. Victor remembered screaming along to every song that was performed, his voice drowned out by the sound of everyone singing with him. Everyone had all been dancing and cheering proudly for the band as they performed. By the end of the night, Victor had actually lost his voice from all the screaming, much to Yuri’s endless amusement. 

“I don’t think that’s it…” Phichit contemplated. “But maybe you had a meet and greet with us then?”

“I wish,” Victor scoffed. “I would have loved to meet you guys but I just didn’t have the money at the time. I was honestly lucky that I’d even be able to get the tickets I did. Though I really didn’t care about that since I was just happy to see a live performance.”

"What about modeling," Phichit asked. "Did you ever do any photoshoots? You've got a good face for it."

Victor paled a little thinking of the one and only photoshoot Chris had convinced him to do in younger years. They had both been college freshmen at the time and it was the last year that he had worn his hair long. "I uh, well, now that you mention it,” Victor confessed. “There was one photoshoot my friend Chris convinced me to do. He works in the modeling industry and somehow persuaded his agents that it would be a good Idea go let me join. It was cool, but not really where my interests lie."

“Ah-ha, I knew there was something!” Phichit exclaimed, his face lighting up in excitement. "Wait, _Chris_? You can't possibly mean Christoph Giacometti, could you?"

Victor cocked his head, a little surprised to hear his friend’s name coming from Phichit. Sometimes Victor forgot just how much of a household name Chris really was. "Yeah, he's my roommate,” Victor answered.

Phichit gasped loudly and nearly knocked over his chair in excitement as he moved closer to Victor. "Holy fuck please tell me you're joking!"

Victor jumped, a little startled at Phichit’s outburst while the other five people in the dining area shot them confused glances. Fortunately, after a few moments of curiosity, everyone went back to minding their own business.

With a sheepish smile, Victor said, "I swear I'm not joking. Here hold on." Victor opened his photo gallery and scrolled down to one of the photos he had Chris had taken together just the other day.

Phichit all but snatched the phone from Victor's hands as he stared at the photo in shocked wonder. 

"Do you know Chris?" Victor asked, watching Phichit curiously.

"No, I don't, but god… I wish I did," Phichit breathed. "I've heard he is a riot and damn he's got a great body. I've been a fan of him since the early days. I've seen all of the shoots. Which means I’ve certainly seen the shoot you did with him and that’s probably why I recognize you.”

“Oh god,” Victor groaned. “I wish people would just forget about that shoot.”

“What’s it like living with Chris?” Phichit asked, ignoring Victor’s comment as his eyes sparkled with interest.

“He’s obnoxious,” Victor laughed. “He uses all the hot water, takes forever to get ready and is the most extra person ever, but you still can’t help but love the guy anyway.”

Phichit cocked his brow as he asked, “Are you two like… an item or something?” Victor thought he almost heard a soft note of insecurity and uncertainty hiding behind the question.

Victor scoffed and waved Phichit off. “Nah, I mean we’ve done stuff before, but we were never anything serious and that was a long time ago. He’s my best friend, plain and simple.”

Phichit brightened considerably at that and said, “Ohhh okay, I totally get that.”

As he watched Phichit turn into a flushing blubbering mess over Chris, a horrible, delightful idea snuck into Victor's brain. It was no secret that Chris liked Phichit. Victor had heard Chris go on endlessly about how _‘sexy and attractive the Thai boy in that band of your is’_. Hell, he had even mentioned something about the guy thing morning after Victor had shown him the Instagram photo. Chris clearly was at least a little interested in Phichit and what better opportunity did he have to be a good wingman to his best friend. Plus, if this little plan just so happened to go well, Victor might even get to be around Yuuri more. Everyone would win.

“You know,” Victor hummed, contemplating his words carefully before continuing. “Chris loves meeting new people, especially those who are fans of his work. I could see about arranging a time for you guys to meet if you’re interested.”

“You’d be able to do that?” Phichit gasps in wonderment. The bate had been taken Chris owed him big time for this.

“Yeah, absolutely,” Victor nodded. “Chris is hella cool, to be honest with you, even when he drives me up a wall. He might use up all the hot water in the morning from time to time, but I really couldn’t ask for a better friend or roommate.”

“You sure I wouldn’t be an inconvenience or anything?” Phichit asked. “As someone who lives in the spotlight, I know that getting time to yourself is precious and I don’t want to put him out.”

“Chris lives for excitement and, to be honest with you, I think you two would get along well,” Victor said _or, I hope at least. _He thought to himself. “Here, hang on a second, I don’t think he’s doing anything now, lemme text him really quick and see what he thinks.”

“Okay,” Phichit beamed. As Victor started to type out a quick message, Phichit began to fiddle with his own phone.

_1:33 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_Hey so, you know that Thai boy you fancy from On Love? _

_1:33 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov _

_The sexy one who posted the picture from last night?_

_1:33 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_That would be the one!_

_1:33 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov _

_Alright, so what about it?_

_1:33 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_If you’re interested, I may have just gotten you a date with him._

There was a long gap before Chris started typing back to him. Victor wondered what could be going through Chris’s mind to make him pause like this.

_1:35 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov _

_You’re pulling my leg, right?_

_Because if you are…_

_Then fuck you_

_1:35 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_I’m serious! I’m sitting next to Phichit right now!_

_3:46 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov _

_Pictures or it didn’t happen_

Victor rolled his eyes a then turned to Phichit and asked, “Would it be alright if I took a picture with you to send to him? Chris thinks I’m pulling his leg.” Phichit looks confused for a minute but nods anyway.

“Yeah sure, that’s fine. Just make sure you get my good side!”

“You have a bad side?” Victor asks as he opens his camera on selfie mode and lifts it to take a picture.

“Based on what I’ve seen so far, I don’t think it’s possible for any of you to take a bad picture.”

“We just have people who know how to make us look pretty long enough to take a picture,” Phichit laughed as he posed for the photo. Next to Victor, Phichit looks like a god. One would have to sell their soul to the devil to get such good looks. The whole band must have made a deal with the devil because they all look equally as pretty and Victor doesn’t know what to do with that information. Of course, he knew he wasn’t unattractive himself, but when he checked the photo he took, Victor looked more like a trash bag that had washed up on the ocean shore in comparison to Phichit.

Victor didn’t feel like taking another photo though, and it wasn’t like it would do much good. Besides, the photo was just going to Chris and he knew his friend had enough sense not to post the image anywhere online.

“So, why does he think you’re pulling his leg?” Phichit asked as he subtilty tried to look at Victor’s messages.

Victor tilted the screen away from a little, not wanted Phichit to see his conversation with Chris. He didn’t need to know that Victor was trying to hook him up with a potential date.

Victor shut off his screen and rubbed at the back of his neck as he said, “Well, he may have wondered who was wanting to meet him and well I talk about the band enough for him to recognize a familiar name.

Phichit’s eyes widen almost comically. “Oh my god, he knows who I am?” The smile that was on Phichit’s face was contagious and Victor couldn’t help but smile back at him.

“Yeah, he knows who you are,” Victor didn’t know how much Chris knew about Phichit, but he had at least expressed interest in the boy.

Victor’s phone buzzed on the table and he quickly opened the message to see what Chris had said back.

_1:36 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov_

_When can we meet?_

Victor looked toward Phichit only to find the boy’s eyes quickly scanning over their series of messages.

“So, he thinks I’m sexy?” Phichit asked with excitement bubbling beneath his tone. “Ohh and you told him it’s a date?”

Victor’s eyes widened, a little mortified that Phichit had seen their conversation. “I- It’s not like…” Victor didn’t know what to say. He hoped that he hadn’t just fucked this all up. “I’m sorry, I wasn’t trying to-”

Phichit interrupted him, amusement dancing in his eyes as he said, “It’s alright, really. Honestly, I was hoping a date is what would come out of it after the first meeting anyway. I mean, we’re talking about _Christophe Fucking Giacometti_ here. I mean, who wouldn’t want to tap that?”

Victor couldn’t deny Phichit’s statement. It was hard to ignore someone as attractive as Chris.

“I… suppose that’s fair,” Victor mumbled, still a little ashamed of himself.

“This just means you a good wingman, looking out for your friend,” Phichit beamed, nudging Victor with his elbow little as he did. “Now only if Yuuri let me do stuff like this for him…” Phichit hummed, eyes going a little glassy as he looked distantly across the dining hall. It was like his thoughts were in another place.

Curiosity struck Victor and he sought to move past his own embarrassment as he carefully asked, “You totally don’t have to answer this but have you and Yuuri… were you guys ever a thing?”

Phichit was pulled from his daze and he blinked in surprise before laughing, shaking his head as he said, “No, Yuuri and I have only ever been friends. He’s… a little shy I guess you could say. Despite the appearance that the media has him portray, Yuuri is actually pretty innocent. He isn’t the playboy heartbreaker that everyone believes him to be. Honestly, I don’t think he’s ever really been in a relationship with someone,” Phichit paused, looking at Victor with slightly narrowed eyes. “I’m not going to see any of this in the tabloids later this afternoon, am I?”

Victor shook his head quickly. “Oh god no,” Victor assured him. “You forget, I _live_ with Christophe Giacometti and I haven’t spilled any gossip to the tabloids about him. The only thing I’ve really told you is that he uses up all the damn hot water in the morning, which wouldn’t really be much of a story. Despite how it may seem, I’m not just a random fan who is looking for some tea to spill online about On Love_, _though I love your music and this chance to talk to you all. You all deserve to have your privacy and I’m not about to violate your privacy or your trust.”

Phichit’s eyes remained narrowed, though now they looked a little more contemplative rather than suspicious. It looked like he was about to say something else but Victor’s phone buzzed again and he forced himself to break eye contact with Phichit to the message. Unsurprisingly, Chris had sent him another message. The man was impatient as always.

_1:36 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov_

_Hey, you can’t just leave me hanging like this Victor._

Once again, Phichit was reading over his shoulder. He hummed softly and said, “Tell him I’m free later this afternoon around 3:00 if that works for him. I have a feeling we’re going to have some very interesting conversations.”

Victor felt a twinge of unease pooling in his stomach. There was something about the tone in Phichit’s voice that reminded Victor uncomfortably of the tone that Chris used when he was scheming.

Victor’s fingers paused over the keyboard on his phone. He looked at Phichit suspiciously and asked, “I’m not going to regret introducing the two of you, am I?”

“Of course not,” Phichit waved him off. “What could possibly make you think that?”

Victor didn’t know why, but he was having a hard time trusting Phichit’s assurances. Maybe being Christoph’s wingman was going to be a lot more complicated than he had once realized.

Despite his doubts, Victor finished setting up the plans for the two and ended up just giving Phichit Chris’s number (after receiving Chris’ enthusiastic consent first of course) so the two could better co-ordinate their plans.

Once that was finished, Victor finally had to excuse himself. It was about time he got back to work, and if he didn’t Sara or Mila would end up tracking him down and dragging him back to the counter.

“I’ll see you around, Victor,” Phichit called after him as he begrudgingly walked back toward the din of people in the lobby. It was going to be an incredibly long day and Victor was all ready to just be back home in bed and away from the mess of hotel guests.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Also, additional note: I will have a colored version of the image asap


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please note that the 'underage drinking' tag has been added. In Russia, the legal drinking age is 18 so technically based on the way I have aged everyone in this story no one is drinking illegally, but I figured it wouldn't hurt to add just in case. 
> 
> Also, I'm sorry for posting this chapter a week late, but school and real-life got in the way last week😥 Plus, there were some things that I wanted to change near the end of the chapter that I wasn't able to get to until later in the week.
> 
> Please enjoy! Things are finally starting to get fun!
> 
> **Chapter unbeta'd, all mistakes are my own. Please feel free to let me know if you see any errors.**

Time seemed to tick by at an agonizingly slow pace as Victor resumed his position at the front desk. Normally, when the lobby was so saturated with people checking in time moved quickly but of course, today was anything but normal. It seemed like every other guest, both younger and older, recognized him from Phichit’s Instagram post.

After a while, Sara’s curiosity got the better of her and she pulled him aside to ask what the heck was going on. As Victor quickly explained the situation, Sara squealed with glee, her voice pitched high enough to make a few heads turn their way.

“It was meant to be,” Sara swooned. “I’ve got to tell Mila; she will lose her mind.”

“Oh no,” Victor groaned as he watched her eagerly pull out her phone. He knew there was no point in telling her no because she wouldn’t listen. Besides, Mila was going to find out one way or another and honestly, the sooner she finds out the better. “Just don’t put anything about this online,” Victor pleaded weakly as he walked back to the busy check-in desk.

“You know I won’t,” she called after him, fingers flying rapidly across her keyboard.

His friends were impossible.

* * *

“Hey, so, you’re the guy, right?” Victor barely finished closing out one room reservation ticket when he was approached by another guest. This was how it had been all day and Victor had practically become numb, mindlessly going through the motions as efficiently as possible.

He glanced up briefly from his computer to see the girl leaning over the counter toward him arms tucked on the counter in a way that was clearly meant to draw attention to her breasts. Unphased by this display, he said, “Hi there, good afternoon. What is the name your room is reserved under?”

“You _are_ him, aren’t you? You’re the guy from Phichit Chulanont’s Instagram photo,” the girl was becoming visibly more excited as she confirmed something she obviously knew. “Can I get a picture with you?”

Victor looked back up at her, shaking his head as he said, “Sorry ma’am, it’s against company policy.”

“But you took a photo with him,” she protested.

Victor ignored the girl’s comment and asked again, “Name your room is reserved under?”

“Well, if you won’t take a picture with me,” the girl’s voice was low and sultry as she not so subtly pulled the color of her already low dipping shirt down even further. “Could I _convince you_ to help me get an interview with On Love or maybe you could tell me what room they’re staying in?”

Victor took his hands off his keyboard at that fixed the woman with his full attention for the first time. He was struggling to keep his composure and not snap at the woman for her blunt, rude, and invasive questions. Victor hated guests like this woman, who would try to schmooze the staff for private, confidential information about guests. Victor was tired of her shit so making sure he was loud enough for multiple people in the surrounding area to hear, he said, “Ma’am if you don’t have a room reservation, I am going to have to ask you to leave.”

Sara, as well as many others close by, started glancing their way to see what was happening. Victor could always count on people being nosy and easer to sniff out drama.

Embarrassed, the girl flushed a little, taking in her surroundings momentarily before she leaned even closer, voice lowering as she flashed a press pass at him, “Okay look, I don’t have a room but I promise I’ll make it worth your time. I just want a few minutes with the band or even just a picture of them.”

Victor pursed his lips in disdain. He had been waiting for someone to try using him to get access to the band. He was a little surprised that it had taken so long. The press and paparazzi were far craftier than they let on and Victor was not impressed or fooled by their games.

Out of the corner of his eye, a flash of red caught Victor’s eye. He turned toward the color and called out across the room, “Mila, could you come here for a moment?”

The words had barely left Victor’s mouth and Mila was already there like she had been expecting Victor’s call.

“Everything alright?” she asked, eyes flashing towards the woman at the desk then back to Victor.

“This woman is with the press and does not have a room booked. She is trying to press the staff for confidential information about our guests. Could you please escort her from the premises?”

Mila’s face darkened at Victor’s words and he could practically feel the irritation rolling off her in waves. When Mila turned her attention back to the woman, actually flinched under the intensity of her gaze.

“Yes, I can certainly do that,” she answers sweetly, her voice not at all matching her angry body language. “We do not tolerate that type of behavior. Our organization makes it _very _clear that we do not permit the press or paparazzi in the building if their purpose is to harass our guests.”

“But I-” the woman tried to protest, most of the room falling silent to listen in to the conversation.

“My suggestion is for you to just stay silent and follow me,” Mila interrupted, her tone a little colder than it had been before. Then, without looking at him, Mila addressed him as well. “Victor,” Victor’s back straightened at the sound of his name, “Please go and wait for me in the breakroom.”

Victor was speechless, he’d never heard Mila talk like this before. It was a little scary if Victor was being honest. Without a word, he nodded though she was unable to see the gesture since her back was to him. Thankfully, she must have taken his silence as confirmation as she moved from behind the counter and started to lead the reporter towards the lobby entrance.

The room around them had grown deathly quiet, not a soul spoke a word as Mila lead the reporter from the building, her head hanging low in shame or embarrassment. As Victor watched them go, he spotted two more people who were trying too hard to subtly slip from the building too. If Victor had to hazard a guess, he’d say those people were reporters as well. 

As Mila and the woman disappeared into the crowd of people, the normal chatter in the room picked up again and the next family stepped up to the desk in front of Sara. Meanwhile, in a daze, Victor locked his computer and slowly walked towards the faculty breakroom.

As he made his way through the halls, Victor was distracted by the buzz of his phone. He quickly fished the device from his pockets and saw that he had a new message from Chris. The annoying paparazzi woman momentarily forgotten as Victor eagerly he opened the message, hoping that Chris was giving him an update.

_3:45 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov_

_I think I’m in love, Victor_

Victor smiled warmly at his phone. He was glad to see that Chris seemed happy. He could practically feel the joy and excitement seeping through his messaging app. Victor quickly answered, wanting to hear all the details of their date.

_3:45 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_I’m guessing things are going well then?_

_3:46 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov_

_Phenomenally well. He is cute, sweet and funny. Plus, he has my sense of humor and our personalities are quite similar._

A chill went down Victor’s spine at that, his smile slowly fading into a suspicious frown. If Chris was telling the truth, then the world just became a little more dangerous. One Chris was already a lot to handle, Victor didn’t even want to imagine the implications of dealing with two of him at once.

_3:46 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_He has your sense of humor? That is not something I would call good… _

_Please tell me I’m not going to regret this arrangement._

_3:46 pm_

_From: Christophe Giacometti_

_To: Victor Nikiforov_

_Sorry, darling. It’s too late to turn back. I found a new scheming partner. This boy has the most brilliant ideas. _

Victor groaned audibly. He was sure that nothing good would come from this arrangement. He should have trusted the feeling of unease he sensed when he first gave Phichit Chris’ number. Victor wasn’t sure that he had the mental strength to survive in a world with two versions of Chris. The world certainly wasn’t ready for that type of chaos.

_3:46 pm_

_From: Victor Nikiforov_

_To: Christophe Giacometti_

_Fuck._

“Vitya?” Mila called behind him just as Victor made it to the breakroom door. He turned smiling softly at her even as her expression creased with concern. Victor held the door open and let her walk into the room first. “Are you okay?” she asked.

“Of course,” Victor hummed. “Why wouldn’t I be?”

“Well, Sara and Yura filled me in on what happened,” she started, sweeping a strand of red hair from her eyes as she took a seat at one of the small, round breakroom tables. “All of it, including the stuff from last night.”

Victor nodded absently, taking a seat in the chair across from her. “I figured they’d tell you about it sooner or later.”

Mila just watched him for a moment, her deep blue eyes scrutinizing him closely, one side of her dark eyeliner smeared ever so slightly. “Wow…” she mused after a moment. “You have it bad, don’t you?”

Victor’s cheeks flushed a little but tried to play it off. He’d never been good at talking about feelings and it wasn’t something that he and Mila discussed often. Victor didn’t really know how to handle things like this. “I dunno what you’re talking about,” he lied.

“He must be something if you are this gone over the boy,” she continued, not taking the bate. “Is he really that amazing?”

Victor pursed his lips and dropped his eyes down to the table, knowing he’d been caught. “Yeah, yeah he really is.”

“So, what are you going to do about it?” Mila asked, clasping her delicate hands on the table in front of her.

“Nothing,” he replied truthfully. “What can I do? He’s only going to be here for so long. Besides, look at who he is compared to who I am.”

Mila pursed her lips and said, “I understand what you’re trying to say, but don’t discount yourself. You are just as amazing and special as him. Don’t place him on a higher pedestal than yourself simply because of his fame.”

“Mhh…” Victor hummed noncommittally. He knew Mila was right, but it still didn’t change the fact that Yuuri would never look at him as more than just some fan.

Mila sighed softly, then stood and moved to place a hand on Victor’s shoulder. “Look, just don’t be too hard on yourself Vitya. You should just take care of the behind the scenes stuff today. Sara and I will manage the desk today.”

“But-” Victor tried to protest, but Mila interrupted.

“This is not up for debate,” Mila insisted. “I would rather not have to escort anyone else off the premise today. Understand?”

Victor clamped his mouth closed and nodded. “Understood,” he hummed after a moment.

“Good,” she nodded curtly, “Now go find something to do.”

Just as her hand curled around the door handle, Victor called after her and said, “Thanks Mila, for everything.”

She glanced over her shoulder at him, a sympathetic look on her face as she said, “Just try not to get your heartbroken, okay? Any guy would be an idiot to not want to be with you.”

Then, before Victor could say another word, she opened the door and walked from the room, her flaming red hair bouncing as she walked. 

With a sigh, Victor eventually convinced himself to stand. As advised, he stayed behind the scenes for the remainder of his shift and no further incidents occurred. He made himself busy restocking towels and bringing fresh toiletries to recently unoccupied rooms throughout the hotel.

He was so focused on his tasks that Victor didn’t notice the shy, dark-haired, bespectacled figure ducking out of Victor’s line sight as he exited a recently emptied room on the same floor where a certain band was residing for the week.

* * *

“Victor darling, how about we go out for a little while tonight,” Chris hummed, later that evening. Victor had only arrived back from work only an hour before, getting off earlier than normal for once.

Chris was leaning lazily over the arm of the sofa as he watched Victor quickly tidy up the room so it looked at least a little put together. Victor could feel Chris’ eyes following him as he flitted around the room.

“Why tonight, its Thursday?” Victor questioned as he collected a few of Makka’s stray toys to place back into her basket. Makka did not know how to pick up after herself so she let Victor do it for her.

“Because why not,” Chris hummed like it was a perfectly normal response. “You don’t have work tomorrow and I don’t have work tomorrow, so it's perfect! We can go out, get stupid drunk, check out all the cute guys in the club and whine about our hangovers in the morning.”

“Only the first part of that idea sounds fun,” Victor chuckled as he shot Chris an amused look. “Besides, I thought you and Phichit hit it off well today.”

Chris slumped in his seat with an overdramatic sigh that was loud enough to rouse Makka from her slumber and make her look up with sleepy eyes. “Come onnn! What happened to the Victor I met in college?” Victor didn’t miss how Chris purposely avoided the topic of Phichit. He wasn’t to press but was sure that he wouldn’t get anything further about it from his friend. Chris had been strangely quiet about Phichit after they arrived home. Victor had expected Chris to be gushing all evening but clearly, he had been wrong. Victor was burning with curiosity. 

Either way, he wasn’t going to turn down Chris’ invite, it had been far too long since he had last gone out and Victor probably needed to take his mind off of things. Based on Chris’ behavior, he might need some time to take his mind off of things too. Maybe if they both got drunk enough, Chris would fill him in on what happened. Still, that didn’t mean he couldn’t tease Chris just a little bit before agreeing to go barhopping.

“Hmmm… I dunno man… I guess I’ve just grown up since graduating,” Victor hummed airily. He turned to face Chris trying his best to keep his expression composed, “I have more adult things to worry about now like my job… college payments… Makkachin… finally settling down to spend the next sixty years of my life alone in unchanging boredom. There is just no way I can even think about going out, drinking, and having a good time with my best friend.”

By the end of his speech, Victor’s composure was slipping. He could feel the corners of his lips quirking upwards and one of his brows lifting in amusement. All the while, Chris’ smile had been growing too, easily seeing through Victor’s terrible façade.

“You are such a tease, Victor,” Chris scoffed, as he threw one of the pillows throws at Victor I honestly thought you were going to make me go drinking alone there for a minute.”

Victor caught the pillow with ease then threw it back, smiling wickedly at his friend. “You know I’d never do that to you. What time are we leaving? I need time to get ready and into some better clothes.”

“Well, you better get started then, cause we’re leaving in thirty,” Chris teased as he jumped eagerly off the sofa.

“Thirty minutes? That’s not nearly enough time Chris,” Victor protested. “I need a minimum of 45 minutes.”

“That’s what you get for playing with my emotions like that,” Chris chortled. “You go take a shower. I’ll pick out your outfit.”

“You better not make me look bad,” Victor warned, narrowing his eyes and pointing at Chris with an accusatory finger.

“Darling, have I ever let you walk out that door looking anything less than perfect?” Chris asked, his brow arched.

Victor was silent for a moment, thinking back to all the times that Chris has stopped him from walking out the door to fix something or tell him to change. “You’ve got a point.”

“Exactly, now go, times a ticking,” Chris made shooing motions in Victor’s direction as he turned and walked into Victor’s room.

Forty minutes later, Victor found himself standing in front of the mirror, wearing a tight-fitting, light gray shirt that clung to his body and accentuated the broadness of his shoulders, the definition of his chest and the muscles in his arms. His pants were dark black, ripped jeans that hugged his figure well and made his ass look firm enough to bounce a dime off of. The pants were tight enough that they were borderline uncomfortable and Victor was pretty sure that they belonged to Chris because he was almost positive, he would not have purchased something quite that tight. However, he wasn’t really complaining though because even he had to admit that this outfit made him look like a God damn snack. He was sure that the eye of every man and woman in the bar would be trained on the two of them.

“Come on old man, hurry up,” Chris groans, shoes already laced up and his keys in hand. “You look super sexy now let’s go, we were supposed to leave ten minutes ago!”

Victor wanted to laugh at the outrageously unusual outfit that Chris was wearing but as always, he somehow managed to pull everything off. Chris was a mesh, practically see-through black and purple crop top that clearly showed off his midriff. The fabric seemed to be made of something that was a cross between satin and silk. The material appeared to be so delicate that a single touch would cause the material to disintegrate and turn to dust. His pants looked like they had been practically painted on and seemed to be made entirely out of sequins and rhinestones. Every movement he made caused a flurry of rainbow colors on the surrounding walls as light bounced off of the pants.

“I cannot believe that is what you’re wearing,” Victor laughed with a bewildered shake of his head as he stuffed his wallet into his back pocket and then followed Chris out the door. “Thank god you picked out something normal looking for me.”

“You’re just jealous cause it looks good on me,” Chris teased as they locked the door and started walking down the stairs.

“You caught me,” Victor teased. “I think you are the only person who can look _that_ attractive in something bright enough to see from Mars.”

“I’ve got to leave a lasting impression,” Chris mused, waving at a woman who has paused to stare at them as she exited her car. The woman quickly looked away as the two of them walked toward Chris’ eccentric pink car. “Now let’s hurry, we want to get there before the club gets too full.”

“Why are you in such a rush?” Victor asked with a snort. He felt a little sorry for the woman. Victor was sure that the people around here had seen some interesting things since they moved into the building. “You meeting a hot date or something?”

Chris snorted, “I’m just excited to hit the town. It’s been far too long.”

“I hear ya on that one,” Victor hummed in agreement as the climbed into the car and hit the road.

If Victor had more time to process everything properly, he probably would notice that Chris was busy brewing up one of his infamous schemes. Looking back, Victor realized that he had missed every sign that pointed towards Chris’ evil plans.

* * *

When they arrived, Victor noticed that the venue was an actual honest to God club and it was far nicer than the normal dive bars they had frequented in their college days. It was one of those places with a line out the door and a bouncer stationed at the entrance to decide who gets to come in and who has to stay outside. Victor was sure the entry fee was expensive and quite far out of his price range, but he didn't mention that to Chris. He had been the one who'd agreed to tag along, it was too late to change his mind.

"Come on, follow me," Chris murmured, reaching out to grasp Victor’s arm and pull him along. He walked up to the bouncer who watched him with a skeptical eye as he processed Chris’ unmissable outfit. The others in line were sort of glaring at them, almost as if they were daring the two of them to cut in line. 

He watched as Chris beckoned the bouncer closer to whisper something in his ear. He didn’t miss when Chris subtly slipped the man a folded-up bill. It was folded so that no one else could see how much Chris had just handed the guy, but Victor was pretty sure that it was enough money to sway any bouncer.

The man pulled his head back a little to get a better look at Chris, blinked in surprise. He didn’t even look at how much money Chris had given him. He quickly pocketed the cash, then glanced over to Victor as a second thought before be stepped aside and moved the velvet rope that barred the entrance. “I hope you gentleman enjoy your evening,” the bouncer said with a curt nod at both of them.

Victor could hear the grumblings of the people still in line behind them as he and Chris got to cut in line. He could feel their angry eyes on them so he did his best to avoid eye contact as they scurried inside.

“What did you tell the man?” Victor asked, stunned by the stunt Chris had just pulled.

“I just told him who I was and gave him the names of a few people I knew,” Chris chuckled, grabbing Victor’s hand and all but dragging him towards the loud sound of music and chattering voices. “Plus, I gave him a rather generous tip for letting us cut the line.”

Victor sometimes forgot just how much power Chris actually had thanks to his fame. Chris never flaunted his fame or tried to act like he was better than others but he certainly wasn’t afraid to throw a few names around if it got him into a club. Victor was stunned at how easily they could get into clubs now. He remembered waiting for ages to _maybe_ get inside back before Chris had gotten his first gig in the modeling industry. 

As they pushed through the wide double doors and into the main sitting area of the bar, Victor was overwhelmed by the sounds and the flashing lights. He could feel the music bouncing and reverberating through the floor, humming in his chest and leaving him feeling light as air. The strobe lights flashed erratically, illuminating the walls, floors, and faces of people at random. The glitter of Chris’ outfit only served to add to the bright sparkle of the room and people turned toward them the moment they walked through the doors.

Victor couldn’t deny that he missed this type of atmosphere. He didn’t get to go out and enjoy himself nearly enough these days. The chatter of people was soothing if a little muted by the volume of the music. In the middle of the room, people were dancing freely and grinding up against one another while bartenders wove smoothly in and out of the patrons without dropping even one beverage. Everyone was dressed to the nines and Victor felt right at home among the other customers thanks to Chris’ phenomenal outfit selection.

Victor was ready to party, the atmosphere already filling him with energy and excitement. Beside him, he could tell Chris was thinking the same thing if the smile he was wearing was anything to go off of. He was already bouncing and swaying ever so slightly to the beat as the club music starting flowing through their veins.

“You ready to fucking party and get drunk off your ass?” Chris shouted, leaning a little closer to Victor in order to be heard over the bouncing thrumming pulses of music.

Victor’s grin was so wide that he might as well have been split him from ear to ear. “Let’s fucking doing this,” he shouted back.

The two of them made a beeline for the bar eager to get started on their first drink. Chris seemed to want to take things slow and start with something sweet and fruity as his first drink while Victor said ‘to hell with it’ and ordered two shots of Vodka to kick off the night.

Victor had always preferred to start with something really strong to get his buzz going then nurse softer drinks the rest of the evening. Chris, on the other hand, preferred sweeter drinks that often muted the tasted of alcohol so much that he never knew just how much drank. Tonight was going to be fucking awesome.

As their drinks arrived, Chris pulled out his phone and typed a quick message before picking up his glass.

Victor cocked his brow at Chris, grabbed his own drink as he asked, “You meeting someone else here?”

Chris nodded, “Yep, they’re coming to find us, they already have a table.”

Victor blinked in surprise, not expecting that answer. He had assumed that it was just going to be the two of them tonight, but it seemed that Chris had other plans. Victor quickly though back through the evening's events and everything finally starting coming together. Only now was he realizing that all of this was part of some super-secret Christophe scheme.

Victor frowned while Chris’ smile just continued to grow. Chris knew that he had finally connected the dots. Victor still had no idea exactly _what_ Chris’ plan was, but he knew it couldn’t be anything good. He was going to kill him.

With a sigh of defeat, Victor grabbed his first shot and knocked it back in one go, barely grimacing at the burn as it went down. He could feel heat pooling in his stomach and warming him from the inside out. He was going to need all the alcohol he could get his hands-on tonight.

As he reached for his second shot, someone stepped behind them and rested a hand on Chris’ shoulder. Victor turned, ready to tell the man off when he realized that the man was Phichit Chulanont.

Victor almost spilled the contents of his drink as he looked at the boy a little slack-jawed. His eyes darted between Chris’ and Phichit’s as he tried to figure out what was going on. Unlike Victor, Chris didn’t seem surprised at all to see Phichit here in the club with him.

“Come on, let’s go back to the table, the others are waiting for us,” Phichit said with a nod. “Love the outfit, by the way, Chris.”

“Why thank you darling,” Chris beamed. “I chose it just for you. You gleam as bright as the stars so it only made sense to make myself just as bright.”

Phichit’s cheeks flushed under the praise. The way that he was looking at Chris right now told Victor that their date had definitely gone well this afternoon.

A cold shiver of panic shot down Victor’s spine. There was no way in hell that this night was real. He had played right into Chris’ hands like putty.

Victor quickly threw back his second shot while Chris fished out some cash to pay for their drinks. Then, the two of them quickly followed after Phichit as he disappeared into the crowd.

“Is this the person you were talking about meeting up with?” Victor hissed at Chris over the den of music. He already knew the answer, but he still had to ask.

Chris threw him a wicked grin and said, “One of them.”

As their table came into sight, Victor’s fears became a reality. He was now understanding just how much of a bad idea it was to introduce Chris and Phichit. At the table that Phichit was standing by was the rest of the band, _including_ _Yuuri Fucking Katsuki,_ all nursing their own drinks.

Victor stopped mid-step, nearly tripping over his own feet as he locked eyes with Yuuri, who looked a little out of place in the bar, unlike the rest of the band. Yuuri, who had been mid-sip of his drink, froze in place, spilling a bit of the drink into his lap as he started to cough. It was clear that Yuuri was just as surprised to see him as Victor was.

Phichit leaned over and began pounding Yuuri’s back while Otabek reached across the table and took the drink from Yuuri’s hand before he could spill any more of it on himself. When Yuuri finally stopped coughing, his cheeks were flushed and the corners of his eyes were a little damp from unshed tears that glistened in the flashing strobe lights.

“Here, you can sit over here between Yuuri and Otabek, Victor,” Phichit called to him over the music, gesturing towards the empty chair beside red face boy. “Make sure he doesn’t choke on his alcohol again”

Victor nodded numbly, trying to get his brain and mouth working again. There seemed to be a fog hanging over his head, that wasn’t caused by drinks he’d consumed. As he sat, he shook his head a little to clear his mind.

“Hey guys,” Victor greeted, nodding politely at Otabek before glancing over to Yuuri.

Yuuri’s head was downturned, eyes locked on his hands, which were clasped tightly in his lap. 

“You alright?” Victor asked carefully, grabbing a napkin from the table and passing it over to Yuuri.

Yuuri glanced at him briefly and Victor swore that he saw a look of panic in those eyes, before it melted away into something unreadable. He took the offered napkin and quickly wiped at the spots where he had spilled on himself.

“Yeah, I think so,” Yuuri replied, his voice pitched so low that it was almost a little hard to hear. “I guess I just drink that a little too fast.”

Victor hummed in acknowledgment, but the sound got lost in the beat of the music. There was a beat of awkward silence between them and Victor hated it. Conversation had seemed so easy between them on the elevator yesterday but now, it was like that had never happened. Though, in his defense, from Yuuri’s point of view, it probably looked like Victor was becoming a stalker of sorts, which is the last thing he wanted to come across as.

Fucking Chris always sticking his nose into other people’s affairs. He was going to have a serious conversation with Chris after this night was over. Finally, Chris had gone too far with his schemes and Victor was not impressed.

When the silence between them became too much to bear, Victor finally asked, “What are you drinking?” What was left of the drink, appeared to be something that was tinted a light blue color

Yuuri shrugged looking at the drink with apprehension, “I think it’s called a Blue Hawaiian or something. It's popular in America, I guess. Phichit ordered it for me because I wouldn’t make up my mind.”

Victor laughed fondly at that, the corner of his eyes crinkling a little at the corners as he did. “Well it looks good; I don’t think I’ve had one of those before. I tend to drink things a little… harder than that.”

Yuuri hesitated for a moment, looking between the drink and Victor for just a moment before saying, “Y-you could try it… if you’d like.”

Victor’s brow rose in surprise, based on Yuuri’s shy behavior, the last thing he expected was for the boy to offer him a sip of his drink.

“Are you sure,” Victor asked, watching the pink tinge on Yuuri’s cheeks grow brighter.

Yuuri shrugged and nodded, pushing the drink a little closer to Victor as he did.

Hesitantly, Victor reached out and plucked the drink from the table, his hands brushing against Yuuri’s for just a second. The place where they touched felt like fire, sending a jolt of surprise through both of them. Yuuri pulled his hand back quickly, breaking the touch. Victor could still feel the head of where their skin had met even as the air around him tried to cool down the fire.

With his eyes locked on Yuuri’s, Victor lifted the glass to his lips and took a small sip. The glass was a little sticky from where the drink had spilled earlier.

As the oddly colored drink touched his tongue, Victor’s taste buds exploded with flavor, the bitter tang of vodka mixed with the aftertaste of Pineapple and Coconut had caught him off guard. Victor had to admit that the drink was pretty damn good after you got used to the initial shock of it. Phichit clearly had a good taste in alcohol.

As he lowered the drink back to the table, Victor watched as Yuuri’s tongue darted out to trace his bottom lip. Victor’s eyes followed the movement hungrily, his head was swimming already. Maybe he had taken his first two shots too quickly because he was already starting to feel a little tipsy. Or maybe that was just the effect that Yuuri had on people… The room suddenly felt a lot warmer than it had just moments ago.

It was during this charged silence between them when Victor finally took notice of what Yuuri was wearing. He wanted to kick himself for not noticing it sooner.

Yuuri had dark, raven black hair slicked back the way it normally was for photoshoots, each piece tucked neatly away with not a strand out of place. Unlike yesterday, he was missing those deep blue, wide-rimmed glasses, swapping them out for a thick layer of eyeliner that was winged at the corners. His torso was framed nicely in a dark black button-up that complemented his completion and brought out his eyes. As Victor’s eyes dropped lower, he spotted tight, ripped skinny jeans that only accentuated his long dancers’ legs. Victor’s mouth watered as he thought of what that solid body would feel like pressed against his own.

Subconsciously, Victor licked his lips, leaning slightly closer to the man as, Yuuri’s eyes briefly following the movement of his tongue before meeting Victor’s gaze once again. Noise swirled and twisted around them, everything was moving in slow motion and Victor could feel the slight buzz of alcohol in his system, the shots he had taken earlier already making his head swim. As everything slowed to a crawl around them, Victor could have sworn that Yuuri was now leaning in too, their faces inching closer ever so slightly, the tension in the air between them almost palpable now. Victor’s heart was racing, beating out an intricate undefined tune against the inside of his ribs. He had no idea what he was doing. Victor felt like he had lost the ability to control his own body.

A sudden bright flash broke the moment between them and they jumped back, both looking towards the source of the light. Sitting on the other side of the table were Chris and Phichit, both wearing guilty, mischievous smiles, Phichit’s phone pointed in their direction. “Whoopsie thought the flash was off,” Phichit hummed as he fiddled with the device.

“I should have never introduced those two,” Victor grumbled low enough that only Yuuri would be able to hear.

Beside him, Yuuri huffed, “Yeah, you really shouldn’t have.”

“They are the proof that Chaotic Good and Chaotic Evil are not a good matchup,” Victor added, hoping that Yuuri understood the nerdy reference.

“Which one is the Chaotic Good?” Yuuri asked, looking almost scandalized. “I sure hope you don’t believe that Phichit is Chaotic Good!”

“Is he not?” Victor asked, a little bemused at the reaction. Victor glanced back to Phichit and tried to picture him being Chaotic Evil.

“Definitely not,” Yuuri confirmed, also watching Chris and Phichit across the table.

A waitress brought a round of drinks to the table and Chris grabbed one of the glasses, lifting it as he exclaimed, “I propose a toast.” He threw a wink in Yuuri and Victor’s direction as he said, “To new friends, and new beginnings.”

“I’m going to kill him,” Victor grumbled quietly to Yuuri as the waitress began to pass the rest of the shots out to the tale.

“I agree,” Phichit beamed, grabbing his own shot and lifting it high. “To new beginnings and a night of fun and freedom.”

“I see your point though,” Victor snorted. “They’re both Chaotic Evil. I think I’ve created a monster.”

“Good job,” Yuuri huffed, sounding both irritated and amused. “You combined to Chaotic Evil beings to create one Ultimate Evil beast. To be honest with you, I’m not quite sure how Peach convinced me to come along, as I certainly was not part of this evil scheme.”

“What makes you think I was part of it?” Victor snickered. “I was just as confused by all of this as you were!”

“You’re still the one who started all of this,” Yuuri pointed out.

“Well, if it’s any condolence,” Victor began, feeling a little bit of bravery take over as Yuuri lifted his glass to take another sip of his Blue Hawaiian. “I’m glad that you came. It’ll be easier to deal with these morons at least with someone else here to help me make fun of them. Maybe we can find a way to bring down the Ultimate Evil Beast.”

Yuuri snorted into his glass, a smile playing at the corner of his lips as he set down his now almost empty Blue Hawaiian drink.

“Yeah, we’ll see,” Yuuri huffed. “I dunno if I’ve forgiven you for your evil creation just yet.”

Victor pouted at Yuuri for a moment but was distracted momentarily when the waitress offered him a shot. He graciously accepted it the drink and gave the woman an appreciative nod. He was going to need one or two more of these to get through the rest of the night. A loud whoop from Chris only helped to reinforce this thought and Victor wince just a little to himself. Victor sighed softly then gave the woman his best, charming smile and asked, “Would be a doll and bring me two more shots when you get the chance as well as another Blue Hawaiian for my friend here? I feel like it’s gonna be a long night.”

“Oh no I’m fine-” Yuuri tried to protest, but was drowned out by a swell in the music.

The woman glanced at the others surrounding the table and gave him a soft, sympathetic smile and placing an arm lightly on his shoulder as she said, “Of course darling, I’ve got two other tables to bring drinks to first, but I’ll be sure to get you those drinks.”

“You are a true saint, no need to rush… _much_,” Victor winked at the woman and she flushed a little under his gaze.

The waitress melted under his teasing words. He’d learned quickly enough how to win people over with words. It had helped him during his time in foster care and at work when he had to deal with particularly insufferable customers. It was too bad that he was gay as a two-dollar bill, cause the girl actually was rather attractive and she seemed to be kind enough. But alas, she was about as far from Victor’s type as one could get. He almost felt bad for toying with her like that, but he always had been known as a little bit of a flirt. He couldn’t help it.

When Victor turned his attention back to Yuuri, he seemed just a little tenser than he had before, even as the waitress set a shot in front of him. Yuuri refused to look at the woman, even as he gave her a quick thank you followed by a slight bowing of his head. Victor figured that the bow must be a cultural thing, he had seen Yuuri do the same thing during when thanking people during interviews but he hadn’t connected the dots until now. In-person, Victor found himself noticing a lot more things about Yuuri than he ever had on TV or in video interviews.

Victor was about to ask Yuuri if he was alright again but he was interrupted by Minami’s excited chatter dominating everyone’s attention at the table.

“Alright, does everyone have their shots now?” he asked, practically bouncing in his seat. Victor watched as Minami’s own shot came dangerously close to sloshing over the lip of the glass and across the table. 

“I believe so,” Otabek confirmed as he quickly glanced around at everyone.

“Alright then, glasses up everyone,” Phichit crowed, lifting his shot glass over the center of the table.

Everyone copied Phichit and lifted their drink towards the center of the table. Even Yuuri lifted his glass to join after a moment of hesitation. Once all the glasses were raised, Phichit said, “To new friends and to all the new places they can take you.”

“To friends,” everyone else at the table echoed before bringing their shots back down.

“Now on the count of three,” Chris beamed, drink already perched against his lower lip. There was a pause before the countdown began, Chris waiting to make eye contact with everyone at the table before starting. “Alright, three… two… one…”

Victor threw back his head and downed the shot in one go, the strong taste of the bitter whiskey burning all the way down. He smacked his lips once as he lowered the shot and slammed the glass back onto the table, letting out a sigh of content as he did.

All around him, the others were doing the same. Minami turned into a coughing, spluttering mess clearly not used to the acrid burn of alcohol in his throat. Victor could only assume that the boy was still pretty new to drinking or just didn’t partake in the consumption of alcohol much.

Phichit grinned wickedly as he smacked Minami on the back. There was delighted evil twinkling in those eyes and Victor wasn’t sure why he had ever assumed that Phichit was Chaotic Good. 

“God, I love Russia,” Minami wheezed after he finally made it through his coughing fit. “No one here looked twice when an eighteen-year-old starts drinking in a club.”

“Well, they did make sure to ID you _twice_ before they let you in the club,” Phichit interjected. “I mean, you do look like you’re about twelve.”

“You guys are so mean to me,” Minami protested, crossing his arms in mock anger.

“I mean, with the way you nearly died on your shot, I think the States might have something right by keeping the legal age at Twenty-One,” Otabek mused, brow cocked as he looked at Minami in amusement. Minami’s cheeks were a deep red color due to the combined factors of his coughing fit and the alcohol in his system.”

“Oh, screw you Beka,” Minami pouted, flipping Otabek off as he continued. “I know you were saying the same damn thing when we first starting touring outside the States. I clearly remember hearing you talk about drinking underage without the fear of getting arrested.”

Otabek lifted a glass of water to his lips and said, “Yes, but that was then and this is now. I’m twenty-two now so I don’t have to worry about the legal age anywhere now. Plus, I’ve always been able to hold my liquor better than you.”

“Says who?” Minami retorted. “You’re the one whose drinking water and not alcohol right now.”

“And you’re the one who’s going to have a killer headache in the morning,” Otabek answered smoothly, effectively shutting down the bubbly blond, even if for just a moment.

After Minami quieted, Chris leaned into Phichit and groaned, “Peachhh let’s go dance.”

Victor cocked his head in curiosity, a little surprised to hear Phichit’s nickname fall so easily from Chris’ lips. It was clear by the way that Yuuri straightened beside him, that he wasn’t the only one who was taken aback by this.

Phichit’s eyes lit up at the suggestion, seeming to have no opposition to hearing Chris call him ‘Peach’. Instead, he grasped Chris’ arm eagerly and exclaimed, “I think that is a great idea. We should all go dancing!”

“Yes, let’s go!” Minami exclaimed; silence short-lived as he practically knocked his chair over as he jumped up. “Beka, come dance with me!”

Beside him, Victor could hear Otabek groan a little, shaking his head as he stood up. “I’m just going with you to make sure you don’t end up doing something stupid. You’re such a lightweight. I don’t need some random stranger kidnapping you.” Despite the frustrated tone, Victor could tell that Otabek cared deeply for his bandmates. His tough-guy act was easy to see through up close. It was actually a little endearing.

“Are you two coming?” Chris asked, giving Victor a pointed look.

Victor shook his head, “Maybe in a bit. I’ve got two more shots coming.” He winked and added, “You know I need to be a little more wasted before I’m ready to hit the dance floor.”

“Touché,” Chris said with a laugh, pulling Phichit to his feet. Victor noticed that the two of them were pressed a little closer than people who were ‘just friends’ would. “And you, my darling Yuuri? Shall you join us, or are you going to keep our dear Vitya company?”

Yuuri looked torn. It didn’t seem like he wanted to dance but he also didn’t look like he wanted to stay here alone with Victor. Victor tried to hide his disappointment and prepared himself to sit at the table and drink alone. That’s usually how his luck worked out anyway so it wouldn’t be at all surprising.

After a moment, however, Yuuri sighed and said, “I think I’ll stay here. I don’t really want to end up on the front page of Times Magazine tomorrow.”

Phichit and Yuuri exchanged a look that Victor couldn’t begin to understand. Clearly, there was a deeper meaning behind that look. Victor wondered if Yuuri had a bit of a wild side to him and he wondered what it would take to see that wild side for himself.

Chris seemed to have missed this exchange because he simply shrugged and said, “Hmm suit yourself.”

As the others moved away from the table, Phichit started to pull at Chris’ arm as he pleaded, “Chris, carry me on your back.”

“Ooh, Beka, you should carry me on your back too,” Minami squeaked, eyes lighting up as Chris actually turned around and crouched to allow Phichit to climb on.

Victor winced, hoping that Chris still had enough balance to carry Phichit without dropping the poor boy flat on his ass. Apparently, Chris was still fairly sober, because be picked up Phichit like he weighed nothing and they disappeared into the crowd, swallowed by the undulating sea of people on the dance floor.

“You’re perfectly capable of walking yourself,” Otabek replied with narrowed eyes.

“Pleaseee,” Minami begged, clasping his hands together.

Otabek just rolled his eyes and grabbed Minami’s arm. “Not gonna happen, kid,” he hummed as he pulled Minami along to follow Chris and Phichit and soon, they too disappeared.

“Are they always like this?” Victor hummed, lowering his voice and leaning just a little closer to Yuuri as he watched the other go.

“Pretty much,” Yuuri replied stiffly.

Victor wasn’t drunk enough yet to miss the cold note in Yuuri’s voice. It was so much different than the light, teasing tone he had adopted earlier. He turned in his seat to face Yuuri a little better as he asked, “Are you sure you’re alright?”

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Yuuri lied. Victor could see the lie rolling off of every inch of Yuuri. It was evident in the tone of his voice, the way he refused to make eye contact, and the way he was carrying himself. Something was upsetting him and Victor had the nagging feeling that he was the cause of this new cold attitude.

“Did I do or say something wrong?” Victor pressed. He couldn’t just leave things as they were, he didn’t really have any right to press Yuuri on the matter. Victor knew that the fine line between good and bad judgment calls would start getting a little hazy before long and he didn’t want Yuuri to spend the rest of the evening upset with him so he wanted to resolve this sooner rather than later. Things were already getting a little fuzzy around the edges now that he had three shots now sloshing around in his belly and he could feel the slight flush on his cheeks caused by the alcohol; a blush that was mirrored back at him on Yuuri’s cheeks. 

Yuuri blinked, a little surprised at the question. It was clear that Yuuri hadn’t expected Victor to press him any further about this.

“Why do you ask?” he questioned, giving Victor what could only be called a quizzical look.

Victor shrugged, avoiding eye contact with Yuuri for the moment. He was sure to lose his nerve or lose his train of thought if he looked into those endless warm brown eyes.

“I dunno, you seemed like you were starting to warm up for a second there,” Victor began, brushing his hair out of his eyes. “Then it was like you shut me out again just minutes later.”

Yuuri opened his mouth to reply but an arm reached between the two of them. Victor blinked, looking up, a little confused.

The waitress from earlier was smiling down at Victor as she set a second shot, followed by the Blue Hawaiian on the table between him and Yuuri.

“Here are your shots darling,” she said with a wink.

Victor held up a finger and starting digging in his pockets. A moment later, he triumphantly pulled a five-dollar bill free and passed the woman a tip for her quick return.

“Much appreciated,” Victor hummed with a nod.

The waitress bit her lip, pausing for just a second to watch him before she turned and bounced away, swaying her hips dramatically. Victor grimaced to himself, maybe he had laid the flirting on just a little too thick earlier.

When he turned back to Yuuri, the boy was watching him closely.

Victor gave a weary sigh and said, “You want one of the shots?”

Yuuri shrugged, pausing for a brief second before finally grabbing one of the two drinks.

“You’d think she’d be paying you more attention than me,” Victor laughed bitterly as he reached for the second shot.

Yuuri paused, drink almost to his lips, eyes narrowed slightly. “Why do you say that?”

“Well I mean, for one, you’re incredibly attractive,” Victor’s mental filter was starting to break down as words tumbled freely from his lips. He could feel his already flushed cheeks get even redder now. “And two, I’m mean… you’re _Yuuri Fuckin Katsuki. _You’re amazing!”

Victor watched as Yuuri’s cheeks now started to turn an even darker shade of pink, shot glass lowered back onto the table, still full. “Yeah well, I don’t think she knew I was famous. People who don’t know me tend to see me as just a plain ordinary person, which is pretty true.”

Victor’s brows furrowed. “You’re anything but plain,” he insisted.

“Well, I’d be willing to bet she thinks otherwise. You’re the one who she gave her number to,” Yuuri answered, nodding toward the table. Victor could hear that bitter tone in Yuuri’s voice again and the pieces started to slowly click into place through the alcohol-induced haze. He was sure that he could have figured it out faster if he had been sober, but it was better late than never.

Victor glanced in the direction that Yuuri indicated and saw that, sure enough, underneath the second shot, scribbled on a napkin was no doubt the waitresses phone number. He glanced up and spotted the woman looking towards him from a few tables away. Victor laughed bitterly picking up the napkin and folding it in his finger.

“What’s so funny?” Yuuri asked, eyes locked on the napkin in Victor’s hands. His finger running slowly around the edge of his shot glass.

“Well, it’s just that the poor girl is barking up the wrong tree,” Victor explained, fingers starting to tear off small pieces of the folded napkin.

“You already have a girlfriend?” Yuuri asked, eyes locked on the napkin. Victor could hear the jealousy in his voice now.

Victor shook his head slowly, watching the scraps of napkin flutter down to the table. “Nope, I’m not in a relationship.” He turned towards Yuuri and waited until Yuuri’s eyes met his before he said, “I’m gay.”

Yuuri’s lips parted slightly at the confession. He looked a little dazed, eyes glazed over as he tried to process that information.

“Does that make things weird between us?” Victor asked when it was clear Yuuri wasn’t going to say anything.

Yuuri shook his head quickly, almost resembling a puppy as his hair bounced a little. He kept his eyes locked on Victor’s hands as he said, “No, I mean, I’m sure you’ve seen my interviews and know that I’m…” Yuuri trailed off.

“That you’re Bi?” Victor supplied.

Yuuri’s eyes flicked up to Victor’s then back down to the table as he shrugged a little and nodded.

It was no secret that the whole band fell somewhere in the LGBT+ spectrum. None of them had been shy about it when asked about their preferences during interviews. Anyone who followed the band knew that Yuuri was Bi, Phichit was Pan, and both Otabek and Minami were gay. Of course, the fact that Yuuri was bisexual always gave Victor a hope that maybe… just maybe, if they ever met it would be love at first sight. Clearly, things hadn’t quite gone that way but at least a guy could dream.

Victor waited for Yuuri to say something, _anything_, but it seemed like that the topic of sexuality had come up, he just clammed up worse than before. But that just seemed to be his level of luck in life. Somehow, by trying to make things better, Victor ended up making them even worse. Victor sighed heavily, the atmosphere between them tense and awkward.

“Shall we drink?” Victor finally asked just to break the silence. He was already setting down the shredded napkin and reaching the shot glass before Yuuri could even answer.

Yuuri nodded quickly, nearly knocking over his shot in his hurry to pick it up again.

“Cheers,” Victor mumbled, lifting the drink a little before tossing back the burning liquid. By now, the burn had been lessened, his fourth shot going down smooth as water as his desire to get blackout drunk increased.

Yuuri seemed to be thinking the same thing, his drink disappearing quickly too, barely a grimace on his face as he drained the glass. Victor bit his lip, eyes locked on Yuuri’s throat as he swallowed. God, he was so damn gay. Victor was dying to know what that mouth tasted like, what those plush lips would feel like against his.

“I can feel you staring,” Yuuri grumbled, shyly glancing over at him as he set the glass back down on the table and reached for the Blue Hawaiian. “Why?”

Victor smiled lazily, thinking, _‘fuck it, I can’t screw this up any more than I already have’ _as he leaned closer to Yuuri and hummed, “Cause you’re pretty.”

Yuuri ducked his head, “You’re just biased, Victor. Makeup artists just make me pretty for our shows and photoshoots. I’m pretty ordinary the rest of the time.”

“Nope, wrong,” Victor beamed, popping the ‘p’ as he replied, “They say that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and well, I am the beholder and I’m saying that I think you’re pretty. And, to me, you are far from ordinary.”

“You’re drunk,” Yuuri scoffed, but he wasn’t leaning away from Victor which was a good sign.

“Not that drunk,” he reasoned with a shrug, “I only had four shots. It usually takes about six to get me really messed up. But either way, that wouldn’t change my opinion. I just get more honest and vocal. Alcohol just destroys my brain to mouth filter and makes me a lot more fun. You’ll know when I’m actually hammered.”

Yuuri nodded slowly, lips pressed tightly together as he tried to suppress a smile. Victor felt his heart flutter in his chest, Yuuri’s smiling filling him with a warmth that was far different than the one caused the alcohol. Maybe throwing caution to the wind was the way to go after all. It seemed like Yuuri was finally starting to become a little more receptive again or maybe that was just the effect the alcohol was having on both of them.

The room was swaying softly around him, as he looked at Yuuri. It was comforting, soothing almost, the feeling of being tipsy something familiar to him. Victor knew the longer the night went on, this feeling of being tipsy would grow stronger until he was loose and stupidly drunk. He smiled loosely at Yuuri, putting his elbows on the table and resting his head on his hands to steady himself as he said, “But enough about me, tell me a little more about the side of Katsuki Yuuri we don’t see in the media. You seem a lot more reserved in person than the media portrays.”

“I uh… you want to know more about me?” Yuuri asked, a small frown starting to crease his pretty face, clearly caught off guard by Victor’s statement.

“Yeah, of course,” Victor exclaimed. “You’ve got so much hiding behind your eyes. I want to get to know _you_. The version of you hiding behind all that Hollywood fame. You’re so much different than I expected you to be and that intrigues me.”

“Well uh...” Yuuri scratched at the back of his head, he seemed a little self-conscious and unsure of himself. “What do you want to know?”

Victor felt a sense of pride well up in his chest, knowing that now he had Yuuri on the hook. He wanted to slowly peel away his defenses to figure out who Yuuri was beneath the surface. Victor wanted to know everything about Yuuri, about who he was when the cameras weren’t rolling. He frankly didn’t care about the fake Hollywood personal that most famous people wore. Victor just wanted to know Yuuri for the person he really was.

“Hmm…” Victor ran his thumb and forefinger along the base of his jaw as he thought about things he wanted to know. “Well… I want to know everything about you! Like, what are your interests, do you have any pets, a secret love interest? A boyfriend or girlfriend? Is there-”

“Woah slow down,” Yuuri interjected, waving his hands frantically as if they could cut through Victor’s onslaught of questions. 

“Sorry,” Victor chuckled and rubbed at the back of his head, a little embarrassed. “I got a little overzealous. This is what happens when I drink, words just kinda… spill out.”

“It’s fine,” Yuuri assured him, his smile a little strained. “Maybe just… one at a time please?”

Victor nodded curtly, trying to string together a good question.

“You asked about pets, right?” Yuuri asked, saving Victor from trying to recall the things he asked.

“Yeah, do you currently have any or want any?”

Yuuri shrugged, “I don’t have at the moment, we just travel too much. I adore poodles but I wouldn’t want to leave them at a daycare or with a friend for months at a time while we travel for shows. I also couldn’t justify bringing a dog with me from place to place because a lot of time animals have to be placed in quarantine for up to thirty days when traveling internationally to make sure they’re not carrying any foreign illnesses. Unlike Phichit and his hamsters, I don’t think I’d be able to illegally sneak a dog through customs.”

Victor’s eyes widened and he started laughing, “Oh my god is that how he gets able to get his hamsters everywhere with him?”

Yuuri chucked too, “Yeahh, airports are always an adventure with Phichit. I still don’t understand how doesn’t get caught. It’s been close a few times. Plus, there have been a few times where we’ve almost missed our flights because of him.”

“He sure is a crafty guy, isn’t he?” Victor hummed in amusement.

“Oh yeah, he’s the worst. I can’t tell you how many schemes he’s gotten me wrapped up in over the years. He’s gotten me into so much trouble over the years. I swear Phichit’s going to be the death of me,” Yuuri shook his head, a small smile playing at the corner of his lips. “He’s tried to tell me that he’d be able to get a dog through customs if I got one, but I don’t want to get arrested for sneaking a dog onto a plane.”

“That’s probably a good plan,” Victor said with a laugh. “But at the same time, I feel like if anyone could do it, it would be Phichit.”

“Yeah, you’re probably right” Yuuri hummed, with a smile. “What about you? Any pets?”

Victor beamed excitedly as he thought of Makkachin. When the band first rose to popularity, Yuuri had mentioned his love for poodles which only made Victor fall even more in love with Yuuri. He had adopted Makkachin from an animal shelter as soon as he and Chris and moved into their own apartment during their college years. He had been delighted to learn that he and Yuuri shared the same love for adorable poodles and now, he the opportunity to gush about his beloved pup with his celebrity crush.

“I do,” Victor exclaimed brightly as he reached into his pocket and fished out his phone. “In fact, I own a super sweet and adorable poodle named Makkachin. I adopted her as soon as I had enough money to move into apartments off-campus during college.”

“You have a poodle?” Yuuri gasped, leaning closer to look at Victor’s phone as he quickly opened his photo gallery.

“Yep, and she is the most spoiled dog in the world,” Victor laughed as he clicked on the most recent picture of Makka. She was laying at the foot of Victor’s bed, tongue lolling out of her mouth, and a toy between her paws as she looked toward the camera with a happy expression. “She is quite photogenic and loves to shower people with love.”

Yuuri melted as soon as he saw the picture of Makka. His face softened and the smile that he wore was heartbreakingly adorable. “Oh, my goodness,” Yuuri cooed, “Isn’t she just the most precious little baby in the world.”

“She really is,” Victor beamed in agreement. “You can go ahead and scroll through the pictures, most of the ones in this gallery are pictures of her.”

Without any hesitation, Yuuri took Victor’s phone started to scroll through the photos in the gallery. He continued to fawn over and praise Makka, completely absorbed in the task at hand. Meanwhile, Victor couldn’t stop himself from staring at Yuuri as he gushed over the photos. Yuuri was just so captivating and he seemed to be practically glowing. He looked so much younger and it seemed like the stress and tension that was constantly lingering between the surface had completely vanished. Victor’s heart ached and he longed to reach out and touch him, to pull him close and smother him in kisses and compliments.

Eventually, Yuuri turned to him, eyes sparkling as they met Victor’s. “I bet she is just the sweetest thing,” Yuuri sighed. “I wish I could meet her.”

Victor nodded giving Yuuri a somewhat subdued smile. Of course, Yuuri would probably never get the chance to meet Makka, but he couldn’t help but wish it could be true. Victor was sure that Makka would just adore Yuuri. “I wish you could too,” Victor hummed after a minute. Then he changed the subject, “So, next question now, right?”

Yuuri blinked, then nodded, “Yeah sure, what else would you like to know?”

“Well, do you have a girlfriend or maybe a boyfriend? Some type of secret love interest?” Victor questioned.

Yuuri’s cheeks flamed at the question and he chewed at his lower lip as he quickly shook his head. “Ah, no,” he hummed. “I’m not in a relationship, and there are no secret lovers.”

“How come?” Victor pressed. “You seem like someone who is very likable and easy to get along with.”

Yuuri shrugged and said, “I dunno, just haven’t found the right person I guess. And you said you weren’t in a relationship, right?”

Victor nodded in confirmation as Yuuri quickly turned the conversation away from himself. “Yeah, I am quite single.”

“What about you and Chris?” Yuuri asked, eyes flicking quickly toward the dance floor then back him. “Do you have a thing for him?”

“Oh no,” Victor laughed. “Chris and are just friends. We tried the relationship thing, but neither of us thought it felt right.”

“Hmmm, okay,” Yuuri hummed absently.

It was then that their waitress returned, smiling brightly as she asked, “Can I get you boys some more drinks?”

Victor glanced at the woman long enough to say, “Yes please, keep the shots coming.” Then turned his attention back to Yuuri.”

“Alright, I’ll be right back with those drinks then.” She seemed a little more subdued now that Victor wasn’t showering her with attention, but he couldn’t bring himself to care. Not when he had Yuuri sitting here in front of him.

“Okay, it’s my turn to ask a question now,” Yuuri said, shifting in his seat to face Victor more fully.

“Ask me anything,” Victor beamed as he moved in his seat too. “For you, I’m an open book.”

“So, yesterday you were talking about ice skating. How long have you been skating?” Yuuri asked curiously.

“I’ve been skating on and off since I was about eight, I suppose,” Victor mused. “I always wanted to pursue it professionally growing up.”

“How come you didn’t?” Yuuri asked as he cocked his head to the side.

Victor shrugged and said, “I grew up in the foster care system and never really stayed in one place for long and well, professional skating is expensive. By the time I was living on my own, I was too old to try learning some of the more extreme moves safely.”

“Is that why you want to open your own rink and teach?” Yuuri continued.

The waitress brought four more shots over to the table, which the two of them accepted gratefully.

“Yeah, sort of,” Victor mused. “I’d love to teach kids to teach to skate professionally at a more affordable price, but I’m hardly qualified for that. So, at the very least I’d like to just teach kids the basics of skating.”

“That’s very noble of you,” Yuuri hummed with a gentle smile. “I’m sure you’d be a great teacher.”

Victor scoffed, “Yeah, but at this point, I doubt I’d be able to pull it off. I’ll be twenty-five this year and I’m no closer to pulling that off than I was when I first started skating.”

“Hey, don’t be like that,” Yuuri exclaimed. “You’re still young and there is plenty of time to make your dream come true.”

“Yeah…” Victor sighed, unsure of what else to say. In lieu of a response, Victor grabbed yet another shot and downed it quickly. With the path that the conversation was taking, he was going to need to be a lot drunker than he currently was. The conversation had turned from looking at pictures of Makka to topics that dug into his past. Victor would prefer to avoid conversation about his time in foster care at the moment. They certainly weren’t his fondest memories.

Yuuri took the silence as a sign that he too should drink his shot too. As Yuuri finished his first, Victor was already reaching for a second shot. Once he had downed the second, let out a deep sigh and turned back to Yuuri, beaming. “What about you though, you mentioned that you skated for a bit yourself, right?”

“Oh, right yeah I did,” Yuuri replied, eyes jumping from Victor’s empty shots and back up to him. “I started out just dancing with a family friend and eventually she introduced me to ice skating. I really tried to get into the sport, but I was a bit of a chubby kid and didn’t really have much balance. I have a friend though, Yuuko, she was a few years older than me but she always tried to encourage me to stick with it. In the end, though, I just stuck to dancing instead of skating because it hurts a lot less when you fall.”

“I would have to agree with you there. I’ve taken some pretty nasty falls over the years and it hurts every time,” Victor said with a laugh. “You said that you also got into music through skating, right?”

“Yeah, I sure did,” Yuuri mused. “I always admired how skaters could bring certain musical pieces to life and I thought I have no skating ability, I still wanted to find a way to be apart of the skating world. I tend to struggle a little with lyrics and stuff, but the actual instrumental parts always came easy.”

“Well, that honestly fits quite well,” Victor reasoned. “Many skaters prefer songs without lyrics because they would rather tell the story with their bodies instead of words.”

“You make a good point,” Yuuri agreed. “I have gotten a bit better at writing lyrics over the years, but honestly, I leave a lot of that up to Phichit and Minami. Those two just have this way with words that are unlike anything I’ve ever seen. And Otabek, well, he can mix music and make everything flow together as smooth as a river, it’s just phenomenal. They’re all just so talented.”

“You are incredibly talented too,” Victor smiled reassuringly as Yuuri quickly downed his last shot.

Yuuri ducked his head shyly at the compliment as he set the empty glass down again. “Mmmm maybe,” Yuuri hummed.

“You are, honestly,” Victor insisted. “And you shouldn’t let anyone tell you otherwise.”

Yuuri pursed his lips together hard the grabbed his nearly forgotten Blue Hawaiian and quickly finished off the drink.

Then, Yuuri pushed his chair back and quickly stood, nearly knocking the seat over in his haste. Victor jumped, a little startled at the action and the world around him swayed like a churning ocean.

“Come dance with me, Victor,” Yuuri pleaded, and he reached out to grasp Victor’s hand, trying to pull him from his seat.

Victor watched as Yuuri swayed on his feet, his cheeks now a deep, drunken flush. He started to wonder just how drunk Yuuri actually was. Maybe he was a bit more of a lightweight that Victor had originally guessed. Victor’s own drunken state had made him far less observant of his surroundings.

“Can you even stand Zolotse?” Victor asked in concern, even as he started to rise with a slight wobble himself.

“I’m finee Victor,” Yuuri giggled as he nodded eagerly, looking far more sober and steady on his feet than Victor had been expecting. It was clear that Yuuri was wasted, especially considering how much alcohol he’d seen the guy toss back, but he was still functional, which was surprising as hell. “Please, I want to danceee!”

“Alright, let's go then,” Victor exclaimed with a laugh, completely forgetting their conversation about skating and music has he let himself be led to the dance floor by Yuuri.

The dance floor was flooded with people, but everyone parted easily as they made their way to the floor. The quickly spotted Otabek and Minami bopping along to the music and looking like they were having a great time. Phichit and Chris were a little harder to find, but eventually, Victor spotted the two grinding hard against each other and dancing far closer than was strictly necessary. The two of them looked quite happy as they moved in time with the poppy dance music that swirled around them.

Victor’s thoughts were soon pulled away from thoughts of their friends as Yuuri grabbed his hands and they started swaying to the beat with nearly an arm’s length of space between their bodies.

Victor momentarily thought about pulling Yuuri closer when he realized just how much of Yuuri’s delectable body he could see from his current position. Yuuri was swaying his hips in a sexy, enchanting way that had Victor practically drooling. His eyes were half-lidded and dark as he danced out siren’s song with his body.

Feeling Yuuri’s energy flowing through his veins, Victor danced along with him and copied his moves, the two of them complementing each other perfectly. It was perfectly obvious to anyone who watched Yuuri for longer than a second that the boy knew how to dance. Victor had never imagined that he would ever be able to see Yuuri dance so up close and personal. Even with copious amounts of alcohol flowing through his body, Yuuri’s movements, for the most part, seemed to be those of a practically sober person.

Victor didn’t know what to make of it all. He was absolutely positive that Yuuri was wasted because he had been so against getting on the dance floor earlier in the night, but now, here he was dominating the whole club. At one point, the had even had a crowd of people surrounding them as Yuuri started break dancing in the middle of the floor, showing off his incredible muscles as he performed stunts that Victor could only dream of.

As the night progressed, Yuuri became more and more clingy especially after they took a short break to grab some more drinks. The drunker the two of them became, the more Yuuri touched him and leaned on him for support, invading Victor’s personal space in a way that made his heart beat dangerously fast in his chest.

Victor was absolutely in love with this boy and that love continued to run deeper and deeper as the evening progressed.

Eventually, the two of them finally slowed down, both exhausted and worn out from drinking and dancing practically the whole night away.

Somehow, the ended up at the edge of the dance floor, out of the way of the chaotic movements still going on near the center of the room. Yuuri’s arms were laced behind Victor's head and Victor’s hands were placed on Yuuri’s waist. They were close, bodies nearly flush as they slow danced with one another, swaying to a silent, unheard song inside their own head, far different than the upbeat music the DJ was still mixing.

Victor stumbled, tripping over his own feet in his drunken haze, but Yuuri was there to help keep him steady. With a contented sigh, Victor leaned his head in closer and rested his head on Yuuri’s shoulder, the sides of their head pressed together as they attempted to dance.

He wished that Yuuri could be this loose and open more often. The side of Yuuri that Victor had seen tonight was far different than man shown on TV and the version of Yuuri that he had met in the hotel the night before. This Yuuri seemed happier with his defenses lower and Victor’s heart ached for the boy in his arms. Victor just wanted Yuuri to be happy. The way Yuuri acted was so painfully familiar and Victor hated seeing that broken inside expression reflected back at him from the face of another. Yuuri shouldn’t have to feel like that and it broke Victor’s heart.

“I think I understand why you put such a strong wall to hide behind.” Victor started moving his mouth closer to Yuuri’s ear as words spilled from his lips before he gathered the frame of mind to stop them. He wasn’t even sure if what he was saying even made a lick of sense. “You’re scared of letting people see the real you because you’re afraid of letting them down. Everyone makes you feel like you have to be flawless, unbreakable,_ invincible. _But Yuuri… you’re just human. Like me, like Chris, like Phichit. We’re all just human and humans are flawed and if others can’t see that, then they don’t deserve you. You have so much talent and so much to offer but you don’t have to give up everything you are to be the person everyone expects you to be. You’ll get a lot more enjoyment from life if you just be yourself instead of pretending to be something you’re not.”

He felt Yuuri get tense under his touch and their gentle swaying quickly came to a stop. Victor felt his heart drop, his words must have made a lot of sense and it seemed like he’d hit Yuuri pretty deep.

In a panic, Victor lifted his head and pulled back to look at Yuuri, vision swimming as he tried to maintain a steady gaze. Victor worried his lip for a second, vaguely processing the look of fear on Yuuri’s face.

“Look, you don’t have to say a thing,” Victor he whispered, just loud enough for Yuuri to hear over the booming music. “You can deny it if you want, but I know it’s true. I can see it in your eyes, the pain of trying to be what’s expected of you. I know because it’s the same look that I wear. Your smile is just as fake as the one I wear around anyone but you.”

Yuuri’s lips were slightly parted as he absorbed what Victor said, his expression creasing into a look of concern and confusion. Victor wasn’t sure if Yuuri was about to kiss him or slap him but he didn’t get the chance to find out which it was because Chris and Phichit chose that moment to interrupt their tense moment.

Phichit was practically hanging off of Chris as materialized before them. Yuuri and Victor quickly broke apart and their tense conversation momentarily was forgotten.

Phichit was absolutely wasted as he reached for Victor’s shoulder and missed twice before actually making contact.

“Hey guys,” Phichit slurred, “We’re all pretty much done for the night and were thinking about heading back.”

“Where are the other two,” Yuuri asked, as presumably looked around for Otabek and Minami.

“They’re out by the door,” Chris explained. “Minami is about passed out from exhaustion and I just called us a car to take.”

Phichit giggled and hiccupped, “Yep, no driving for any of us, that would be dangerousssss…” As he said the word ‘dangerous’ Phichit took his hand from Victor’s shoulder and waggled it in warning.

Victor couldn’t help but giggle himself. The whole situation was just a little too funny. In the back of his mind, he wondered how many drinks Phichit had drunk tonight.

“I’ll just come back and get my car tomorrow,” Chris said with a cheesy grin. “I didn’t totally think this whole night through, but our tab is already paid off for the evening.”

Victor nodded in acknowledgment and turned to Yuuri. “Are you ready Solnishko? Victor slurred, leaning into Yuuri just a bit as he spoke.

“Mmmmm…” Yuuri hummed, “Yeah… m’ sleepy, let’s go back now.”

Then, the four of them stumbled toward the door with Yuuri leaning heavily on Victor for support, both of them forgetting their conversation from before. The only thing they cared about was getting back home and under the blankets.

Once they met up with Otabek and Minami, they made their way outside and somehow all managed to clamber drunkenly into a decent-sized SUV. Victor found himself sitting in the third row with Yuuri and Minami, Otabek took shotgun and Phichit and Chris claimed the middle row.

Victor barely noticed when Chris rambled off the address for their apartment complex as he made sure to buckle his seat belt.

As the car started moving, Yuuri's head started to dip as he fell asleep. Eventually, he slumped over, head on Victor’s shoulder as he dozed. Victor smiled to himself at the soft gesture, the quickly fell asleep himself. Neither of them noticed as Chris and Phichit quietly snuck pictures of them from the seats in front of them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:
> 
> * Zolotse –My Gold   
* Solnishko - My Sun


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello hello! Don't mind me as I briefly emerge from group project hell to bring you a new chapter 😭 However, despite uni classes trying to eat me alive, I finally found time to finish writing/make changes to this chapter. And huzzah, in less than a month I finally graduate from uni and will have more time to focus more on writing again! (Also, yes, I did add an additional chapter. I had to split a chapter up along the way so now we have 6 instead of 5)
> 
> \- Unbeta'd, all errors are my own (pls lemme know if you see any major issues 😅)-

When Yuuri woke up, he was aware of three things:

_One_, his head was fucking killing him.

_Two_, he really fucking needed some water.

And _three_, there was something super fucking warm and solid beneath him. 

However, instead of addressing anything that rose to the periphery of his consciousness, Yuuri chose instead to ignore everything and deal with reality later.

He inhaled deeply and tried to nuzzled his face further in the solid warmth beneath him. All he wanted to do was to go back to sleep and run away from this painful pounding in his brain. As he tried to drift off to sleep again a soft, almost fruity aroma filled Yuuri’s nose; the scent both foreign and familiar all at once. The smell wasn’t unpleasant by any means but at the same time, it wasn’t helping his throbbing head either. Still, it was better than the light pouring through some nearby windows. Yuuri scrunched his eyes against the pain groaning a little as he shifted his position, pulling at the edge of a blanket and hiding his face beneath it to help shield his eyes from the light. 

Distantly, Yuuri tried to piece together the events of the previous night, but most of it was just a blur. He vaguely recalled going to a bar and drinking a lot but once memories reached a certain point, Yuuri honestly had no idea what had happened. Hell, he couldn’t even remember how or when he’d gotten back to the hotel. This is why he often turned down Phichit’s (very insistent) invites to come out drinking. Once he’s had a few drinks in his system, Yuuri knew that he turned into a wild, rambunctious frat boy level partier and he hated that about himself. Mostly because when it gets to that point, he ends up blackout drunk forgets basically everything by the next morning. Judging by the large chunks missing from his memories, Yuuri had the sneaking suspicion that might have been what happened at the bar last night. He was sure that he would be mortified when Phichit recounted the night's events for him. Yuuri was not looking forward to that in the slightest. 

Suddenly, something cold and wet began to press at his hand breaking him away from his sleepy thoughts and making him jump in surprise. Yuuri could feel slight puffs of air as something started to sniff him, followed by a gentle, wet lick.

Confused, Yuuri reluctantly opened his eyes and pulled the blankets down a little as his head screaming in protest. Though his vision was a little blurry, he was able to make out the shape of a large brown poodle watching him with big curious eyes. Yuuri’s immediate reaction was to smile at the adorable dog and turn his hand to start stroking its soft fur. Even in his hungover state of mind, dogs never failed to bring a smile to Yuuri’s face. 

“Well are you a cutie,” Yuuri cooed quietly as the dog eagerly pressed against his hand, tail starting to wag in delight. Though he was sure he’d never met this dog, it seemed somehow familiar to Yuuri. She resembled the type of dog that Yuuri hoped to own in the future.

As his brain slowly processed information, Yuuri finally started to register that something was not quite right. In his sleepy, hungover stupor, Yuuri hadn’t initially registered the fact that:

One: He didn’t own a dog

Two: Dogs weren’t allowed in their hotel

And Three: He didn’t remember buying a dog last night

_So, then why was there a giant poodle currently standing before him? _

Yuuri’s hands were frozen on the dog’s head as he tried to take in his blurry surroundings. Even though Yuuri had shit vision without his glasses on, he could easily tell that he had not ended up back in the hotel with Phichit at the end of the night. Nothing in this room even vaguely resembled the hotel room they had checked into.

Unhappy that Yuuri stepped petting her, the dog tried to nudged and lick his hand back into action but he barely even noticed. Deep in his chest, Yuuri could feel panic start to bubble up inside as he tried to piece together some of what had happened after leaving the bar.

Had Phichit let him leave on his own to go off to some stranger’s home? Did some creepy stalker fan kidnap him and trap him in their house?

As Yuuri’s panic continued to build the warm something beneath him started to move, groaning a little as it did.

It was at that moment, that he realized that he was lying on top of another human being. _He felt like he was going to be sick to his stomach._

Yuuri quickly sat up as best he could in this awkward situation, yelping a little at his newest realization. The pain of his hangover now pushed to the furthest recesses of his mind, almost non-existent as his veins coursed wit adrenaline and his brain tried to piece this situation together.

“Mhmmm…Yuuri?” the person, presumably male, hummed, his voice eerily familiar. There was another groan as the man shifted again, “Oh god my head is killing me.”

Somehow this man knew his name and Yuuri fought to scramble off of him, a sharp ‘oof’ indicating that Yuuri had pressed down especially hard on the man’s stomach in his haste to retreat. Yuuri quickly curled against the far end of the sofa, looking around wildly for his glasses, but not seeing their familiar blurry blue shape anywhere. 

The man moved to sit up too and leaned over to reach for something behind him. “Looking for these?” he asked, concern in his voice as he held out what looked like Yuuri’s glasses. “Are you okay?”

Hesitantly, Yuuri reached out, grabbing onto the familiar frames and quickly setting them onto the bridge of his nose.

Yuuri blinked as the familiar view of their blue-eyed, silver-haired receptionist came into sharp focus. “V-Victor?” Yuuri was confused as hell. 

“Yuuri, are you alright?” Victor asked again, one hand reaching hesitantly toward him. Yuuri flinched away, not wanted the other man’s hand anywhere near him. Victor froze, his hand hanging in midair before he pulled it back again. 

“What happened? Where are we?” Yuuri asked, looking around the room again now that he had his glasses on. The room was tiny but cozy. Clearly kept clean and well-loved, but as Yuuri suspected, this was not his hotel room.

“This is where Chris and I live. Everyone ended up crashing here after we left the club last night since it was closer than the hotel,” Victor started to explain, his handsome face still pinched in concern. “I dunno what rooms everyone ended up after we got in last night but the others should be around here somewhere too.”

“Why… how…” Yuuri was still trying to make sense of everything with little luck. “What was I doing… on top of you?” Yuuri finally asked, his heart leaping into his throat at the implication of his words. 

Victor’s brow rose and his eyes widened a little further. “I… uh, well,” Victor scratched the back of his head sheepishly as he tried to find his words. “Look… this is gonna sound… _odd_ no matter how I say it, but last night you were so wasted that you could barely stand, let alone keep your eyes open. I insisted on giving you my bed so I could take the sofa but you didn’t really like that idea. You actually insisted on taking the sofa, but you’re the guest here so of course, I wouldn’t take the sofa. Like, there’s no way I would make you sleep on this ancient, uncomfortable old thing in a place you’re not familiar with–”

Victor was rambling at this point. He seemed just as nervous and out of place as Yuuri did– “So then when I tried to move you to my room so you could lay down, you kinda just… went boneless on me and pushed me back onto the sofa. Then you said that if I wouldn’t give up the sofa that we’d just have to share.

“I tried to move you but you were like damn octopus and made it impossible to stand. I knew you were strong, but Jesus Christ, I legitimately couldn’t get free and I was scared of hurting you and so, uh… eventually, I just gave up and well… here we are.” Victor looked a little lost as he ended his story, brows furrowed as he worried his lip.

Meanwhile, Yuuri was looking at Victor skeptically. He certainly didn’t remember any of that, but at the same time _did_ sound sort of like something drunk Yuuri would do. There was still the possibility that Victor was lying and he had been taken advantage of.

Yuuri was aware that his level of rationality decreased significantly when he got plastered, so there was no telling what actually happened. He wanted to question Victor on it further, but he didn’t know where to begin, especially since there were so many gaps in is a memory.

Right now, things were not looking too good and everything felt like it was spiraling out of control. He just needed time to think and clear his head, but the pounding throb in his head coupled with the warning signs of a panic attack made his head more cluttered and overwhelming. 

“I swear I didn’t do or try anything if that’s what you thinking,” Victor added quickly when Yuuri stayed silent and appraising. “Like I said, I tried to leave, honestly, I wanted you to sleep in my bed so you’d be more comfortable. But when you eventually started snoring I kinda just… stopped fighting and fell asleep too.”

“It’s true Yuuri,” Phichit’s groggy voice added, “No need to interrogate the poor guy. Slowdown that overactive mind of yours. Victor was actually quite the gentleman last night. You’re just stubborn as hell when you’re drunk.” 

Yuuri turned toward the sound and saw his friend from coming out of a nearby room, clothes wrinkled and disheveled and his hair was poking out every which way. Yuuri would laugh at the site if he wasn’t so confused and if his head wasn’t throbbing so badly. Besides, he was sure that he didn’t look much better.

“I… I’m sorry Victor,” Yuuri murmured.

“For what?” Victor asked, brows furrowing.

Yuuri blinked, dumbfounded. _Was Victor being serious? _“For… not believing you? And if I made you uncomfortable last night?” Yuuri said slowly.

Victor waved a hand dismissively. “No need to apologize, we were drunk and I understand why you had reservations about my story.”

Yuuri didn’t understand how Victor could just brush something like that off so easily.

However, before he could go any further Chris appeared behind Phichit, looking equally as rumbled as Phichit as he said, “I didn’t think you had it in you, kid. You’re quite the party king once we get a few drinks in you. It’s good to see that your dancing is as good on stage as it is off.” 

“Oh god,” Yuuri groaned. Chris had singlehandedly confirmed that he had been out of control and insatiable as the night progressed. Yuuri didn’t want to hear the horror stories but Phichit would likely try to give him a play by play recount of everything.

Yuuri glanced back over to Victor, only to find him open-mouthed and wide-eyed with shock as he looked between Chris and Phichit. 

“What, something on my face, darling?” Chris teased, amusement coloring his voice.

“Did you two… are you wearing Chris’s shirt?” Victor asked, aghast by the sight.

Yuuri had to do a double-take, looking back in confusion. Victor was right, Yuuri couldn’t believe he had missed it. Phichit was currently dawned in a loose-fitting, luminous pink shirt with the words _“Kiss me, I’m gay”_ written on the front in silver sequins. Yuuri knew his friend had quite an outrageous sense of fashion at times, but he knew damn well that Phichit did not own, nor had he ever purchased the shirt he was currently wearing. 

Under Victor and Yuuri’s scrutiny, Phichit’s cheeks flushed a light pink color as a tiny smirk played at the corners of his lips. 

“Despite the places I know your dirty mind likes to go, Victor,” Chris hummed, walking further into the living room as he spoke. “We did not have sex. We simply shared a bed last night and I may have lent him some of my clothes at my insistence.”

Yuuri choked, his cheeks flaming too as he fully comprehended the intention and meaning behind Victor’s question. It was still so early that Yuuri hadn’t even considered the possibility that the two had hooked up during the night. 

“Although,” Chis continued turning back towards Phichit with an expression that was both hungry and soft all at once. “I am certainly not opposed to ravishing such a delightfully beautiful man when we are both fully sober and consenting adults.”

Yuuri was stunned, frozen where he sat at Christophe’s boldness. Honestly, he shouldn’t be this surprised. Yuuri should have seen this coming from a mile away considering how happy Phichit had been after his date with Chris yesterday. Phichit had gushed endlessly about how well things went and about how _‘unfairly hot and sexy’_ (Phichit’s exact wording) Chris was. It was clear now that the feeling was mutual.

Phichit grinned cheekily at Chris’ words, even as his skin flushed an even darker shade of pink. “I knew there was a reason I liked you.”

“Aren’t you a little too hungover to be thinking about sex this early in the morning?” Otabek asked joining the conversation abruptly as he walked out of another room, looking significantly less hungover and more put together than everyone else. 

Phichit scoffed, waving a hand dismissively at Otabek, “It’s never too early to think about sex, even with a hangover.”

“Your funeral,” Otabek shrugged, cocking a brow at Phichit as he came to sit in one of the armchairs in the living room.

Chris leaned up against the wall and crossed his arms, a wicked smile on his lips as he hummed, “So you mean to tell me you’ve never woken up with a boner and thought about how nice it would be to have someone help you take care of that?”

Otabek pursed his lips, which Yuuri knew was Otabek’s way of holding back a smile. He snorted and hummed, “Not when I have a hangover, no.” 

Chris scoffed dramatically and rolled his eyes playfully. “Bah, you’re no fun,” he huffed. “You haven’t lived until you had that experience.”

“I mean, it's not like he’s ever had a hangover anyway,” Phichit pipped up as Otabek pulled out his phone and started to fiddle with it. “This guy is like a human camel. For every beer or shot he takes, he drinks like three times that amount in water.”

“Believe it or not drinking is a lot more fun when you can wake up without puking your gut out or wincing at the slightest bit of light,” Otabek reasoned, as he turned on his phone's flashlight and quickly lifted it to shine the light in everyone’s eyes. “You should try it sometime.”

Yuuri winced hard as the pain in his head intensified. Groans filled the room as everyone else also shrunk away from the light like vampires exposed to the sun. 

“Oh,_ fuck_ you,” Phichit complained loudly. “Beka, you are _such_ a dick.”

“Just proving my point,” Otabek chuckled softly.

“Hmmm… so you do have a devious side then,” Victor mused, glancing toward Otabek even as he rubbed at both sides of his temple. 

“You have to be with the bandmates I’m stuck with,” Otabek answered, as he ran a hand through his short hair. 

“You make it sound like we’re the bad guys,” Phichit protested. 

“Who says you aren’t?” Yuuri chimed in, poking at his friend. “You do tend to get us _all_ in trouble.”

“Whatever, you guys suck,” Phichit pouted crossing his arms. “Chris is the only one here who is still my friend.”

“Hey, what did I do?” Victor protested. 

Phichit paused, thinking for a minute. “Fraternizing with the enemy, and right now… Yuuri is one of the enemies,” Phichit finally concluded. 

Victor gasped overdramatically as he exclaimed, “Rude!”

“Come here darling, I’ll take care of you,” Chris cooed, opening his arms to invite Phichit closer.

“See, he still likes me,” Phichit said triumphantly as he practically melted into Christophe’s open arms. 

“Hmmm that I do, mon Chéri,” Chris hummed, trying to be subtle as he buried his face into Phichit’s dark hair. Thankfully, before things in the room got quiet and uncomfortable, Chris lifted his head and said, “I’m thinking about making some breakfast. Eggs, pancakes, and bacon good with everyone?”

Yuuri’s stomach chose that moment to voice its opinion, growling loud enough to wake the dead. Everyone laughed, keeping the mood in the room light and welcoming while Yuuri flushed and hid his hands in his face. 

“I’ll take that as a yes,” Chris said, still laughing. 

“You want some company?” Phichit asked, still held close in Chris’ arms, his back pressed against Chris’s chest. 

As Yuuri peaked at his friend through his fingers, Yuuri noticed the way that Phichit was looking up at Chris. It was significant enough to have Yuuri’s hands falling away from his face and into his lap. Never in all the years that he had known Phichit, had Yuuri seen his friend look at someone the way he was looking up at Chris. His face, was soft and open, a slight blush high on his cheeks as a gentle smile tugged at the corners of his lips. There was a warm twinkling in his eyes like he was absolutely starstruck by the man before him. 

Phichit hadn’t even been this starry-eyed when he met the lead cast of his favorite movie_, The Skater and the King_. Something warm settled in Yuuri’s chest at the picture before him. He knew this look all too well. Phichit was enamored and had fallen head over heels for Christoph Giacometti. Yuuri filed this new information in his brain so he could remember to bring it up a little later on. It was about time he got some new material to tease Phichit with.

“That would be wonderful, darling,” Chris purred, turning Phichit to face him so he could run a finger along the edge of his jaw.

Something in the tone of Chris’ voice left Yuuri doubting if the breakfast was going to be made at all.

“Hey, no sex in the kitchen,” Victor warned, apparently thinking the same thing Yuuri was as he pointed an accusatory finger between the two boys. “I pay half the rent here. You know the rules, Chris.”

Chris smirked and waggled his brows before he dragged Phichit off to the kitchen, pointedly smacking Phichit’s ass as they went. 

Yuuri, Victor, and Otabek all looked at one another quietly for a moment. Unsure of what to say or do. Yuuri watched as Otabek’s eyes seemed to lock with Victor’s for a moment, then quickly jump to Yuuri’s then back again.

“Is that seriously a rule you’ve had to establish or is it something you just made up now?” Otabek asked hesitantly.

Before Victor could answer, the silence was interrupted by a loud crash from the kitchen followed by even louder giggling. 

“Take a guess,” Victor groaned as Yuuri and Phichit turned toward the noise.

With a heavy sigh, Otabek stood, shaking his head as he huffed, “I guess I’ll go babysit the horny teenagers while they’re cooking breakfast then. They can do whatever they want _after_ the food is done.”

“Sounds like a smart plan,” Victor agreed with a soft chuckle. “Thanks.”

Otabek just nodded in lieu of a response before disappearing after the other two. Internally, Yuuri was starting to panic again as he realized that now he and Victor were alone again. He wasn’t sure his poor heart could take the stress. 

They were still sharing the same sofa and Yuuri hadn’t uncurled from his position at the far corner. A long, uncomfortable silence was filling the air between them and Yuuri could felt like he could start hyperventilating at any second. Now that he was sober, he was realizing just how intimidating it was to be around Victor all by himself. Things were a lot easier when he had a couple of drinks in his system to ease his nerves. 

“Hey, uh, so not to sound like I’m echoing what you said to me earlier, but I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable at all last night or this morning,” Victor hummed, voice low and eyes downcast as he pulled Yuuri from his thoughts. “Because it certainly wasn’t my intention.”

Yuuri hummed, with a nod, unsure of how to respond to say as his stomach started doing backflips. If Victor was telling him this, then how bad had things gotten last night?

At the moment, the only thing Yuuri vaguely remembered was playing twenty questions to loosen up the conversation between them and it had been kind of fun when he thought about it. It might have been the alcohol talking, but based on what he _could_ recall, Victor had been quite the gentleman. The had talked about dogs and poodles. He also distinctly remembered getting jealous of a waitress who’d briefly captured Victor’s attention, only to learn that the man was gay. Yuuri would be lying if he said his heart hadn’t skipped a beat at the confession. 

After that, Victor had even managed to get him to talk briefly about ice skating and his love for creating instrumental skate music. That alone was enough to leave Yuuri shaken up. He’d always locked that part of himself behind a wall for safekeeping. No one wanted to hear some story about a chubby kid who couldn’t make it as a skater. And well, talking about his skating music just felt too personal… too raw to share with the world. Releasing that music would be like exposing a piece of his soul that Yuuri didn’t want people to see. If the world could see that side of him, Yuuri knew that he’d no longer be able to keep up the charming, playboy facade that was so heavily encouraged by his record label and fans. He just couldn’t let his bandmates down like that. 

Usually, he was able to keep himself composed when he was around people outside of the band, but something about Victor was different. He was strong enough to break down the walls Yuuri had spent years building with just a few charming words uttered around a thick Russian accent. There was something about those icy blue eyes that penetrated deep into his soul and exposed every flaw and every warped and twisted aspect of his being. 

Victor was someone dangerous to his health. 

He was like the sun, warm and beautiful to look at, but if you get to close, you’ll just burn up from the inside out. If let himself get to close to this beautiful, angelic man who appeared in his life then he’d surely be asking for disaster.

Yuuri still had his doubts about Victor’s intention. He had to assume that all of this blind adoration from Victor simply stemmed from Yuuri’s fame. Victor would surely move on to the next big trend or popular artist who rose to the top ten trending charts within the next few weeks. That’s how fans were. Their interests jumped quickly based on what was currently popular and Yuuri figured that Victor was probably the same even if deep down, he was starting to hope that he was wrong. 

Yuuri could feel himself starting to develop something like a crush on the cute silver-haired man in front of him, despite every inch of his being telling him that it was a bad idea and it wouldn’t– _couldn’t _last. His stomach sank, twisting into knots as he realized that, like Phichit, he was falling… hard. He’d only met Victor three days ago and already Yuuri could tell that he was royally fucked. 

“I uh…” Yuuri stuttered quietly. “You didn’t… you didn’t make me uncomfortable.” 

He hoped that he was being honest. Based on what Yuuri could remember, what he’d said was true, but it was the things he couldn’t remember that worried him. What else had he done last night? After their discussion about skating, Yuuri’s memories simply ceased to exist. 

Victor’s shoulders visibly relaxed and lines of concern that Yuuri hadn’t noticed before seemed to just melt off of his flawless skin. “Okay good, I just don’t want to anything that makes you feel awkward or out of place. I just want you to feel like we’re on the same level as each other.”

“Ah… thank you,” Yuuri hummed with a nod. That was such a strange concept. He wasn’t used to being treated like he was on the same level as normal people.

“So, uh… do you want to go take a shower? Or would you maybe like a change of clothes?” Victor asked, shifting restlessly on the sofa, as he changed the direction of the conversation abruptly. 

“A shower?” Yuuri asked, still a little dazed as he tried to process the question.

“I, uh, yeah… we have a great shower here. It’s warm, good water pressure, spacious… like honestly, I’d say it’s big enough for two-” Victor broke off, his eyes widening and filling with panic as he tried to backtrack- “I mean, uh, not that I’d be taking a shower _with_ you or anything! It’s just a nice shower. Not one of those small ones that most condos have so...”

It hit Yuuri like a ton of bricks when he realized that Victor was nervous too and he was rambling as a result. He was fidgeting a little on the sofa and picking at his nails. Yuuri was the one who was supposed to be the nervous wreck, not Victor, the confident, charming hotel attendant sitting before him.

The thought of taking a shower with Victor caused Yuuri to flush deeply. He hadn’t even been thinking about that until Victor mentioned it but deep down, he kind of liked the idea. In the back of his mind, Yuuri started to wonder what Victor looked like beneath his clothes. Based on what he had recalled when waking on top of him this morning, Victor was firm and well-toned, as if he worked out regularly. Heat bubbled beneath his skin as he thought of exploring all that pale flesh. This sudden wave of desire was such a foreign feeling to Yuuri and he didn’t know how to handle it.

Victor was still rambling about the shower and Yuuri finally reached out to stop him, placing a hand on Victor’s leg and silencing him immediately.

“Victor,” Yuuri was surprised to realize that he sounded calmer and more confident than he expected to as he spoke. “A shower sounds delightful.”

Victor closed his mouth, pink blush high on his cheeks as his eyes flicked first down to Yuuri’s hand and the up to Yuuri’s face.

Victor nodded, seemed to come back to his sense and the cool, collected, confident Victor took over. Yuuri could see it now, it was like a mask had been put on as Victor’s personality shifted. His confidence was a shield, his protective layer, though it seemed a little thinner around him than the others. It almost seemed like the mask that he himself wore. For some reason, Yuuri felt l like he was forgetting something important.

“Right then,” Victor started, placing a hand over Yuuri for just a second before standing up. “Follow me then.”

The place where he had touched Victor’s hand had touched his own burned like fire long the contact had ended.

“Alright, so here’s the bathroom,” Victor explained, sounding like a realtor showing off the luxuries of a house to a client. He felt distant and closed off; so different than Victor have been just a few minutes before. Distantly, Yuuri wondered what had changed. Had he said something or done something to upset Victor? Yuuri just couldn’t be sure.

“So, for the water turn, the handle left for hot, right for cold. Go easy with the heat though. Don’t turn it all the way to the left because it’ll be a lot hotter than you’re expecting so start slow and then gradually increase the temperature as needed.”

Yuuri nodded, only half-listening as he looked around the bathroom. It was rather bare overall. There was a picture of Victor and his dog at the beach on the wall, some white towels on the rack as well as a toothbrush and a small collection of makeup on the counter. Other than that, however, the bathroom was rather sparse in terms of decoration and personalization. Yuuri wondered why. Victor seemed to have such a bold, eccentric, personality so he had been expecting much more clutter and an excess of beauty products and materialistic items. Based on what he was seeing in here though, Yuuri was pretty sure that _he _owned more makeup than Victor, and most of his makeup products had simply been gifted to him by Phichit.

“Also, here’s your towel. The shampoo and conditioner are in the shower as well as the body wash. So, use whatever you’d like.” Victor paused, seeming to be lost in thought for a moment. “Oh, hang on lemme grab you a change of clothes. I’m pretty sure you don’t want to put that back on today, da?” 

Yuuri looked down at his shirt. It was rumpled and stained, remembering vaguely that at some point in the night, he’d spilled a drink over himself. Yuuri looked up at Victor with a sheepish smile, “Yeah… a change of clothes would be great.”

Victor nodded as he said, “Alright, hang tight for a sec.” As Victor left, Yuuri couldn’t stop his eyes from dropping down to check out Victor’s pert ass. He was still wearing the same tight pants from the night before and just damn… If Victor’s ass looked that good _in _pants, he wondered how much better it looked without the cover of clothes. His hands twitched restlessly as he thought about pulling Victor into a close embrace, those firm cheeks cupped in each hand. He could feel his dick stir with interest at the thought and quickly adjusted himself so Victor wouldn’t notice. Now was not the time for this.

“These should do for now,” Victor hummed when he returned, handing Yuuri some very soft looking clothes. “The pants will probably be a bit too long, but it’s the best I can do. Lemme know if I need to find something else for you.”

“This should be perfect,” Yuuri insisted bowing slightly in thanks, grateful for Victor’s kindness.

“Alright, I’ll be in the living room if you need anything. Just shout if you think of something,” Victor told him as he turned and walked from the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. 

Yuuri showered quickly, not wanting to take up all the hot water and not wanting to be stuck alone with his thoughts for too long. Before he’d undressed, Yuuri had made the mistake of catching a glance of himself in the mirror. He wasn’t sure how everyone had kept a straight face around him with his hair sticking up in that many directions paired with the dark circles beneath his eyes. Hangovers were not a good look on him, especially considering that Victor still looked a god after a night of hard-drinking. Based on what he could remember, Yuuri knew that Victor had downed at least six shots in close succession and those were only the ones he remembered seeing the man drink. No normal human being should still look and act _that_ functional after practically drinking an entire vodka bottle's worth of alcohol. 

Maybe this was all just a fevered dream. There was no way someone like Victor was real. Maybe he had just fallen during the night, hit his head and was now stuck in some kind of coma. Granted, they were in Russia, and Russians were well known for their ability to hold down ridiculous amounts of alcohol.

As he stepped under the spray, Yuuri was glad he’d followed Victor’s advice and not turned the hot water all the way up. Even with the knob turned only halfway, Yuuri had to retreat to a far corner of the spacious shower and reach around the burning spray just to turn the temperature down from scalding hot to just a mild burn. 

The small collection of soaps and shampoos in the shower smelled sweet and fruity just like how Victor had smelled this morning. Yuuri couldn’t stop himself from opening all the bottles after catching a whiff of the first one. Once he picked out his favorite, Yuuri quickly scrubbed his hair and his body clean, trying hard not to think about the fact that he was standing in the same place Victor stood naked every day. It was better for his heart if he tried not to think about any of that.

Once finished, Yuuri reluctantly pulled himself from the warmth of the shower, smelling like the strawberry and cream hair products Victor owned. Thankfully, the hot water had helped to ease the pain in his head just a bit. Once he dried himself, Yuuri dressed quickly Victor’s clothes feeling soft and soothing against his skin. He couldn’t stop the blush that bloomed on his cheek as he picked up the fresh pair of boxers that Victor had given him to wear. They fit him well, clinging snuggly to his ass as if they were wrapping him in a warm hug. The pants, as Victor had suspected, were a little long on him, the fabric covering his feet and dragging across the floor. The shirt, a dark grey t-shirt that was soft and worn from use, hung loosely around his frame. He couldn’t deny that the outfit looked nice on him, especially now that he looked a little less like death warmed over. 

For a moment, Yuuri thought about borrowing a little of Victor’s concealer to dab underneath his eyes to hide the dark circles but then he thought better of it. Makeup was expensive and Victor hadn’t told him he could use any of it so he would just have to make due on his own. He just hoped he didn't look _too_ awful today.

Yuuri quickly dried his hair with the towel and made sure that the bathroom looked clean before he opened the door to leave.

When Yuuri looked up, he froze in surprise. Victor was standing with his back towards Yuuri, shirt off in front of a dresser. From here, he could see the firm, solid muscles of Victor’s back along with miles of soft pale skin. Yuuri’s eyes were locked on the taut muscles, watching as they flexed and rippled while Victor searched for something in his dresser.

Yuuri must have audibly gasped because Victor jumped and turned to look at him. 

“Oh,” Victor gasped, gaze locking with Yuuri’s before they darted down, to take a quick sweep of Yuuri’s body before their eyes met again. “I uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t realize you’d be done so quickly.”

Yuuri was stunned into silence, his eyes also dropping to sweep up and down Victor’s well-toned form. Yes, his earlier assessment had been correct, Victor was definitely in shape. It was clear that he worked out or, at the very least, was quite active. His chest was well defined and firm, the subtitle outline of abs starting just below his breast bone. The sight alone was enough to make Yuuri’s mouth water and his stomach twist into knots again. 

As Yuuri’s eyes trailed back up Victor’s torso he noticed the faint flush that stained Victor’s pale cheeks. 

“Uh, I’ll just grab a shirt so I can give you some space,” Victor mumbled, turning quickly and reaching back into the dresser. “I took a shower in Chris’ bathroom and forgot to bring a change of clothes. I would have waited to come in here if I’d realize you were already done.”

“You’re fine,” Yuuri insisted, tearing his eyes away from Victor as quickly put on a shirt. His eyes landed on a towel that lay not far from the dresser. Victor must have walked in here with _just _a towel then. Yuuri was a little disappointed that he had missed that. “This is your house, and presumably your room. I’m not going to make you leave your own room.”

Yuuri’s eye continued to dart around the room which he now realized belonged to Victor. When they’d first come through the room, Yuuri had assumed that it was a guest bedroom. The room was so barren and empty with very little decoration or personalization, much like the bathroom had been.

“Uh, yeah this is my room,” Victor laughed but it sounded a little strained. 

The only thing that indicated that Victor even slept in this room was another picture of Makkachin on the desk at the far right of the room, and a poster of his band _On Love_ hanging on the wall. Yuuri cocked his head, recognizing the poster as one of the prints sold exclusively to people who attended one of their concerts from previous tours. Yuuri flushed a little, suddenly remembering that Victor was still just a fan. It was always a little strange to see his face staring back at him from thousands of still framed posters and magazines. At least Victor only seemed to have the one hanging on the wall unlike some of the more obsessive fans he knew. In the back of his mind, Yuuri wondered why there were so few personal items in Victor’s room, but he resisted the urge to ask. He didn’t want to pry so, instead, he asked, “Is that poster from our Eros tour last year?” 

Victor turned to look at the lone poster. “Uh, yeah… it is. I saved up enough last year to buy tickets for me and a friend. We went to your Moscow show last year,” Victor started to smile in amusement as he looked at the poster, “I just couldn’t leave without getting at least one poster. Much to my friend's utter annoyance might I add.”

Yuuri hummed, lost in thought. Victor had been at one of his concerts before. Had he seen Victor in the sea of people while on stage? Did he stand there in line for autographs or the VIP meet and greets? Was there a moment when their paths crossed in the venue without even realizing it?

“I was up in the nosebleed seats if you’re wondering,” Victor supplied, seeming to read Yuuri’s thoughts. “No autograph or anything. I was just happy to watch you perform live. It’s a whole different experience getting to hear the music and see the dancing in person. You really get to feel it.”

“Are… are you coming to this show?” Yuuri asked hesitantly, unsure of what answer he was hoping to hear. 

Victor sighed and shook his head, “No, not this time. It just didn’t work out this year.”

Then, against his better judgment, Yuuri said, “I could probably get you a set of tickets, or maybe some backstage passes if you’d like.” As soon as the words fell from his lips, Yuuri knew he should take them back, but he didn’t want to. He wasn’t supposed to offer things like this to fans. He could already hear Celestino scolding him for his recklessness but still some, part of him wanted Victor there at the show supporting him. He had a feeling that if Victor there, he’d be able to perform better than he had in weeks maybe even months. Despite that, Yuuri still knew that he shouldn’t have just offered free tickets to someone he’d just met.

“Can’t… you get in trouble for that?” There was a note of hesitancy in Victor’s voice as he looked up at Yuuri. It was clear that he was doubting the legitimacy of Yuuri’s offer. 

“No, of course not,” Yuuri lied. ‘_Yes, Celestino will be pissed – I just need to shut up and just stop talking.’ _

“I… I can’t take advantage of you like that,” Victor hummed, shaking his head.

“You’re not taking advantage of me, I’m offering,” Yuuri insisted, a little miffed. He wasn’t sure why Victor would think that he was taking advantage of Yuuri. 

“Why?” Victor asked, moving a little closer. 

Yuuri wanted to say _‘Please don’t make this difficult, just say yes, I want you there’ _but instead he shrugged, looking up at Victor through his lashes as he approached and said, “I dunno, I figured why not.” 

“That’s not good enough,” Victor retorted softly now close enough to be in Yuuri’s personal space bubble. “You don’t just offer free tickets to a person for no reason. Especially when I know your manager would probably have an aneurism.”

“You think I’m lying?” Yuuri asked, looking past Victor, instead choosing to look at the Eros poster of into the striking blue eyes that were trying to peer into his soul. If he made eye contact with Victor, Yuuri knew he’d be forced to tell the truth. There was no way he could lie when looking directly into those endless blue eyes.

“No,” Victor shook his head, standing close enough now that all he’d have to do was reach out to touch him. Victor lifted a hand, putting a finger under Yuuri’s chin and pressed up softly, forcing them to make eye contact. Victor’s gaze bore straight through Yuuri to his core, the blue of his iris’s sending a chill down Yuuri’s spine. “I don’t think you’re lying. Not totally at least, but you’re certainly not telling the whole truth.”

“I just–” Yuuri tried, but Victor’s finger moved to cover Yuuri’s lips.

“Shh…” Victor hummed. “You don’t have to say anything right now. If you really want me to come to the show, I’ll need to know why. I want to be sure that you’re not offering just cause our asshole friends dragged us out for a night of drinking.”

Yuuri smiled a little at that, the corner of his lips quirking up while Victor’s finger still rested against his lips.

Something in Victor’s eyes changed, a glint of something dark and hungry simmered beneath the surface. Yuuri’s eyes dropped to Victor’s mouth as Victor’s tongue darted out and to moisten his pale pink lips. As Yuuri looked back up to meet Victor’s eyes, he thought _‘fuck it, I’ll just show him why I want him there’_. 

However, before Yuuri could move, the door to the bedroom slammed open, making them both jump apart, the moment between them breaking abruptly.

“Breakfast is rea–” Phichit broke off midway through his sentence as he burst through the door. “Woah, am I interrupting something here?”

Yuuri was pretty sure he looked like a deer in headlights as Phichit’s eyes darted mischievously between him and Victor. Meanwhile, Victor just beamed back at Phichit with his blinding, pearly white smile like the two of them hadn’t just been inches apart, seconds away sharing a kiss.

“Nope, not at all,” Victor chirped, false innocence rolling off of him in waves. “You said breakfast is ready? I’m starved.”

Thankfully, breakfast went by without too much excitement. Everyone chatted happily, groaning in appreciation at the spectacular meal that Chris and Phichit had cooked. Minami, who had still been asleep and dead to the world finally managed to crawl out of the spare bedroom thanks to the smell of coffee and bacon, complaining about his head as he shoveled food down his throat. 

Poor Minami was such a lightweight when it came to alcohol and the others were never going to let him live it down. 

Sitting here, in this tiny kitchen with all his bandmates, along with their two new acquaintances felt strange… like so strange that everything almost seemed _normal_. Yuuri wasn’t sure what it was, but something about their friendly, welcoming attitudes and the playful teasing made them almost feel like a family. It almost seemed as if something that had been missing was finally falling into place. Of course, his bandmates were Yuuri’s family, but until Chris and Victor had joined them, their family had somehow felt incomplete. The very idea that this could be even remotely true left Yuuri feeling a little dazed and baffled. He just couldn’t explain it.

Throughout the entirety of the meal, Chris and Phichit were being overly lovey-dovey, leaning up against one another, feeding each other bits of food, and complementing each other on the meal they made together. Yuuri couldn’t help but roll his eyes at the ridiculousness of those two as everyone else teased them. Still, he couldn’t remember the last time that Phichit had seemed this comfortable around another person outside of the band. He knew that his friend followed Chris’ fashion line closely, but he’d never realized just how well the two would click. 

Across the table, he and Victor kept making eye contact. Being the last ones to the table, they had ended up sitting across from one another so it was impossible not to look at Victor. Yuuri could feel it every time Victor’s eyes were on him, piercing through his heart and soul. Midway through the meal, Yuuri was surprised to hear a melody began to play inside his mind, broken bits of a song starting to piece together little by little. He couldn’t even remember the last time a song had started playing so easily in his head. It had to be something about Victor. For whatever reason, Victor inspired him. Yuuri’s fingers were itching to write, itching to play out this new tune and discover what the melody was trying to tell him. 

Yuuri thought to his untouched songbook, wishing desperately that he still carried it with him at all times like he had when he was younger. He didn’t want this song to slip away, it was too beautiful to lose and Yuuri was aching to hear the melody played aloud. As he chewed, carefully watching Victor through his lashes, Yuuri made a mental note to remember this feeling, this moment right here and now. If he could remember this feeling, then he should be able to recall the melody well enough to write down later.

Soon, everyone had finished eating, full and happy. Phichit and Chris declaring that someone else would have to take on cleaning and dish duty since they had cooked everything. Minami feigned illness, claiming that his head hurt too badly to do dishes while Otabek said his job had been to babysit the chiefs. 

This left Victor and Yuuri to clean up, Victor grumbling something about wishing he was back at work where he was at least got paid to clean, as they started to pick up the dishes. Thankfully, with the two of them working together, the cleanup went by quickly, with surprisingly few words as they worked. Despite the silence, there was no awkward or uncomfortable tension between them as Yuuri had been dreading. The two of them seemed to fall into a pattern, dancing around one another as they picked up the remnants of the well-made breakfast. 

At one point, Yuuri had caught Phichit and Otabek staring at him from the kitchen table, both wearing strange looks that he couldn’t decipher. When they realized that they’d been caught, both boys had looked away quickly, Phichit quietly feeding Makkachin an extra piece of bacon underneath the table. Yuuri absently wondered what was going through their heads. 

When they had almost finished cleaning, there was a loud banging at the front door that made everyone jump. Victor’s brow was furrowed, the final washed plate ready for drying in his hand as he looked towards the front door.

“Victor, I know you’re in there,” a gruff voice shouted through the door. “I saw your shitty Civic parked out there by Chris’ pink monstrosity. Open up you, forgetful bastard.”

Yuuri looked towards Victor whose eyes had gone wide, a guilty look creasing his expression.

“Whoops,” he murmured, handing the plate off tor Yuuri and wiping his hands on a towel. 

The others had moved to the living room to get more comfortable, and from his spot beside Phichit on the sofa, Victor heard Chris call out, “He sounds pissed Victor, what did you forget this time?” 

“I dunno, if I remembered, he wouldn’t be here screaming at me through a door right now,” Victor replied, a note of sarcasm in his voice as he moved towards the door.

Yuuri looked on cautiously. The angry stranger on the other side of the door was making him a little nervous, even though Victor and Chris seemed relatively at ease. It almost seemed like this kind of visitor was relatively commonplace here. What kind of psychopath was Victor about to let into the apartment? A drug dealer, a loan shark, a jealous ex? Yuuri once again remembered all the dangers of associating with random groups of fans. He could feel his anxiety and self-doubt slowly creeping back into his awareness. 

“Well, you better hurry up and open the door before he kicks it in,” Chris cackled. “Cause any damages will be applied to your portion of the rent.”

Victor seemed to move just a little faster at that, quickly unbolting the door and pulling it open as he exclaimed, “Yura, what a pleasant surprise!”

“Move your ass, old man,” the visitor snapped crudely, pushing past Victor and into the house. Instinctively, Yuuri stepped back, putting the table between himself and the newcomer. He had no idea who or what was coming through that door.

“And what do I owe the pleasure of your visit this morning?” Victor asked, voice too bright and filled with false cheer as he shut the door and turned.

Yuuri watched as a boy with shoulder-length blond hair stalked around the corner, a duffle slung over his shoulder and hands buried in his pockets. His face seemed to be pinched with a permanent brooding scowl, his hard, green eyes downcast as he sneered. There was something vaguely familiar about the boy that Yuuri just couldn’t place. Yuuri was sure that he had seen this boy somewhere else before but he wasn’t sure why. 

“Of course, you forgot,” the boy scoffed, turning to face Victor again, clearly not noticing the other occupants of the room yet. “You promised that we’d go to the rink today. I thought you just ended up going without me, but it’s clear that you basically forgot altogether. You aren’t even properly dressed yet.”

Victor flushed, having the decency to look at least a little bashful as the younger boy, Yura, stared him down. “Ah, I’m sorry Yura, Chris convinced me to go out last night and I may have drunk a little bit too much.”

The boy scoffed, throwing his head in indignation, alluding to the fact that this was something of a commonplace occurrence. “Whatever just hurry up and get ready. You have things to teach me and I don’t have all day, old man. I don’t wanna hear you complaining about your hangover either, so don’t even start with me.” 

It was then, that the boy turned abruptly, shoulders squared as he moved to walk further into the building. However, he didn’t get far, pausing mid-step when his eyes met with Yuuri’s. His bright green eyes widened in recognition and his jaw fell slack. Then, after a beat of silence, he turned back to Victor, his gaze snapping from one to the other as he stood between them. “What is he doing here?” the boy practically screamed when he found his voice. Yuuri winced at the sound and shrunk a little further away from the blond. “Did you kidnap him?”

“Of course not!” Victor retorted. Then, he shrugged sheepishly and said, “Chris invited the band out to drinks with us last night and well… all of us sort of ended up here.” 

“All of you… does that mean,” the blond trailed off, turning to look past Yuuri and into the living room where everyone else was sitting just out of sight? Yuuri watched as the boys “What the fuck Victor? How does Chris even know them?” he hissed lowing his voice as his cheeks flushed a bright red color. “You’ve got some explaining to do.”

Once the rambunctious boy, who Yuuri soon discovered was also named Yuri, had calmed down and stopped bitching at Victor, they moved into the living room and introduced him to the group. Victor and Phichit then quickly recounted the events from the previous day. Throughout the explanation, Yuuri couldn’t help but notice that fiery blond kept shooting glances across the room toward Otabek, who was quiet and stony-faced per usual. 

Once the explanation ended, everyone broke down into a more casual conversation. Eventually, it was revealed that Yuri worked as a chief in their hotel, which was a bit of a surprise to Yuuri. Yuri seemed to come across a little too harsh and brash to work in a customer service-based industry. That at least, explained why the boy seemed familiar. Yuuri could now remember seeing him flitting about in the dining area when he had visited for meals.

As the boy adjusted to the new people in the room, he slowly started to get more comfortable and less grumpy. Although he was still a little wary of the boy, Yuuri was starting to understand why Victor seemed to enjoy Yuri’s company. The whirlwind, spitfire boy who had asserted his dominance before even entering the house was a lot more bark than bite as he settled down. Beneath that anger and irritation, Yuri was incredibly intelligent and quick-witted, easily able to keep up with the playful teases of Phichit, Chris, and Minami, which was no easy task. 

Eventually, though, their conversation turned back to the reason for Yuri’s explosive visit. 

“So, you said that you skate?” Otabek spoke up, surprising Yuuri.

Yuri seemed to brighten a little at the question and Yuuri wasn’t sure if it was because he was _that _passionate about skating or if it was simply because Otabek had broken his silence to speak to him.

“Da, I skate,” Yuri nodded eagerly, a goofy little half-smile forming on his lips as he spoke. “The old man got me into it a few years back, but –” his expression soured momentarily– he often forgets when he’s supposed to pick me up and take me with him. Victor’s skating longer than me so he’s supposed to be my coach of sorts, but honestly, he’s kind of a shitty coach.”

“Yura, I said I’m sorry,” Victor groaned, dropping his head into his and giving Yuuri the distinct impression that this was a rather common conversation between the two. “You know how forgetful I can be.”

“That is not an excuse,” Yuri snapped. “With all the technology we have you should at least know how to program reminders into your phone.”

“You know that I do my best,” Victor hummed, folding his arms across his chest. 

“Sometimes I wonder if that’s true,” Yuri sneered. “So, are we still going or what?”

Yuuri didn’t miss the way that Victor glanced over at him, biting his lip briefly before looking back to Yuri.

“Please, don’t change your plans on our behalf,” Yuuri broke in before Victor could say a word. “We probably need to start heading back to the hotel before Celestino notices our absence.”

“Oh, he’s already noticed,” Otabek huffed a little darkly. “He started blowing all of our phones up late last night but Phichit called him earlier and calmed him down.”

“Oh… whoops” Yuuri mumbled, fishing his phone from his pocket to see ten missed calls from Celestino, and a string of texts all sent in their group chat. 

Phichit saved Yuuri from reading back through the messages by saying, “He said he won’t say a word as long as we’re back by three so we have time for more rehearsals and pre-show set up for tomorrow. It’s only one now, so we have plenty of time.”

“How long does it take to get from here to the hotel?” Otabek asked.

“Only about fifteen minutes,” Victor said with a shrug. “So, if you wanted, everyone is more than welcome to stick around for a bit longer. But if you want to leave now, that’s fine too. I could give you guys a ride back to the hotel if you want.”

“Hey, dumbass,” Yuri snapped. “Your shitty car only fits five including the driver and counting me, there are six people.”

Victor grinned and there was something about that smirk that Yuuri knew he shouldn’t be trusted. “Well, you’re tiny Yura, you can squeeze in the back with Phichit, Minami, and Otabek.”

Yuri opened his mouth, clearly about to spit some nasty retort back, when his eyes fell onto Otabek. Instantly, his mouth shut and his brow furrowed, deep in thought. Apparently, he hadn’t been the only one to notice Yuri’s affixation with Otabek. 

“Orrr, I can take Phichit back with me and you can drive the rest,” Chris purred.

“Wait,” Yuri’s head snapped up. “So, is the pervert dating hamster boy now?”

“Hmmm…” Chris hummed, ignoring Yuri’s insult as he exchanged a look with Phichit. “It’s complicated at the moment, I’d say.”

Phichit nodded at that, but based on the private look the two shared, Yuuri had a feeling that it wasn’t nearly as complicated as they wanted everyone to believe. 

“Whatever,” Yuri huffed, rolling his eyes. “So, who is going where then?”

“I’ll go with Chris,” Phichit said, placing a hand on Christophe’s knee fondly. “But I’d love to stay here for a little longer.”

“Wonderful,” Chris beamed. “We can just hang out here until it’s time to go and then I’ll drive you back. If anyone else wants to stay I can drive them back too.”

“Have fun in that pink monstrosity he owns,” Yuri snorted with a glance at Phichit. Then, he turned to Victor and snapped, “Victor go get your shit, I want to skate.”

“Hmm… you’re still just as demanding as ever,” Victor hummed even as he stood from his spot on the sofa beside Yuuri. He reached out and rustled Yuri’s hair as he passed, a dangerous move Yuuri would have assumed. “Such a needy little kitten.”

To Yuuri’s great surprise, the blond didn’t try to bite Victor’s arm off. He simply swatted lightly at Victor’s hand, and sneered lightly as he said, “You better not take too long.”

Yuuri found himself inadvertently watching Victor as he left, his eyes quickly dropping to take another moment to appreciate the spectacular view of his ass. Even in these pants, Victor’s ass looked amazing. 

When Yuuri finally tore his eyes away from Victor’s retreating figure, he could feel someone else’s eyes on him. He flicked his gaze upward, eyes widening as they locked with Yuri’s. Across the room, Yuri’s expression was just as surprised as his own. However, when the blond realized he had been caught, he blinked slowly, narrowing his eyes briefly before his surprise turned into a slight sneer. 

“Pervert,” Yuri huffed under his breath, just loud enough to reach Yuuri’s ears. 

Yuuri felt himself flush, eyes dropping to his hands in embarrassment. After a moment, Yuuri glanced back up to find that the blond had already looked away, but now there was a tiny private smile forming on his lips that Yuuri didn’t quite understand. The boy looked like he was deep in thought but was soon drawn into a light conversation with Otabek and Phichit.

Faster than Yuuri expected, Victor re-emerged, wearing a new outfit and carrying a sports bag that looked stuffed to the point of bursting. 

“It’s about damn time,” Yuri grumbled, as Victor set his duffle bag on the floor in the living room. 

During Victor’s absence, Yuri had moved even closer to Otabek and they deeply absorbed in a rather animated conversation. Minami had slowly bowed out of the conversation and instead joined a discussion with Chris, Yuuri, and Phichit. Meanwhile, Yuri and Otabek were chatting about everything from music genres and motorcycles to cats and tigers. Yuri was practically hanging off of Otabek’s every word, eagerly accepting a headphone bud that Otabek had offered to listen to music samples. Otabek smiled over pictures of cats that the slender blond had on his phone and practically drooled over pictures of the many lavish, mouthwatering Russian dishes that Yuri cooked both at home and the hotel. 

Yuuri couldn’t remember the last time he’d seen Otabek so chatty and so engaged in a one on one conversation with someone. Based on the looks that Chris kept shooting Yuri, his behavior was also outside of the norm. 

“Don’t be dramatic. I wasn’t gone that long,” Victor protested with a roll of his eyes. “Anyway, is anyone wanting me to drive them back to the hotel or will you be staying for a bit longer?”

Although Yuuri didn’t want to go back to the hotel yet, he also didn’t want to stay if Victor was going to be leaving. Of course, there was probably stuff he should be doing back at the hotel room but he didn’t feel like doing any of it just yet. The more time he spent with Victor, the more Yuuri wanted to get to know him. At time same time though, he didn’t want to impose himself on Chris and Victor after they had shown them so much kindness. 

Seeming to read Yuuri’s thoughts, Phichit spoke, a wicked grin on his face as he said, “Hey Victor, are you opposed to having an audience at the rink?”

Victor cocked his head, thinking about the question for a moment before breaking into a heart-shaped smile and saying, “No, not at all! Why? Would you like to come to watch us?”

“Yeah, why not, it could be fun,” Phichit beamed.

“Hmm… it has been quite a while since I last watched one of your mesmerizing performances,” Chris mused, clearly expressing his own interesting in joining. Though, Yuuri had a feeling that his interest was founded more on the fact that Phichit would be in attendance.

“That does sound quite interesting,” Otabek hummed, glancing at Yuri as he spoke. 

“Ooohh,” Minami gushed. “Can you do all kinds of cool tricks and jumps?”

Victor nodded brightly. “Yeah, I can do some of them! Not _nearly _as many as professional figure skaters but I can do some fairly advanced tricks,” he gestured to Yuri and added, “Yura here can perform far more advanced jumps than me though.”

Yuri scoffed, “Bullshit.”

Everyone’s eyes were on the blond as he spoke up. 

“Stop trying to downplay your skills, you bastard,” Yuri sneered. “You know as well as I do, that you’re good enough to go pro if you really wanted to.”

“Yura, you know that I am too old to go pro now,” Victor hummed his smile a little dimmer now. “I probably wouldn’t even last one season out there and there is no way I’d make it to the podium.”

“Bullshit,” Yuri spat again standing up and jabbing a finger in Victor’s face. “You’ve landed stuff that many of the pros haven’t had the balls to even dream of.”

“Yura –” Victor tried to speak but Yuri cut him off.

“You and I _both_ know that none of the pros have landed a quad flip successfully,” Yuri growled, flipping his hair out of his eye.

Yuuri practically choked on his tongue while Phichit nearly dropped his coffee mug. _A quad flip? _

Yuri was right, no skater in the pros had dared to try a quad flip in competition. There was no way Victor had actually landed one, was there? If it was true, he really should be in the pros right now, not a simple hotel receptionist.

Yuuri must have made an audible noise because Yuri turned to face him. 

“See, you heard his reaction and hamster boy nearly lost his drink,” Yuri huffed. “Even they know that a quad flip is nothing to laugh at.”

“Oh Yura,” Victor chuckled, voice bright and cheerful as he looked down at the blond. “I at this point in my life, I am much happier watching the pros from afar and training you.”

Lies.

A false smile and lies.

Yuuri could see the lie etched into every inch of Victor’s fake, overly enthused face. He lived in an industry full of lies. He knew the look well enough to spot when someone was lying through their smile. It was a look Yuuri had to quickly learn after they were signed at the record label. 

Victor was lying. His pain and sorrow hovering just beneath that fragile smile. 

Yuuri’s heart ached.

“Hey Yuuri,” Phichit interjected, breaking the tension that had been quickly filling the room. “You should come to the rink too. Out of the four of us, know the most about skating.” There was a smug set to Phichit lips that lead Yuuri to believe that this was his friend's plan all along. 

Yuuri was going to kill Phichit. Phichit always tried to drag him into things and play matchmaker. Clearly, today was no different. 

“I dunno,” Yuuri started, feeling a little uneasy. He hadn’t been to a rink in years. After he gave up skating for music, Yuuri had refused to step back into another rink. The ice just served as a reminder of his abandoned childhood dream. “I don’t want to impose or be a distraction.”

“Nonsense,” Victor scoffed. “You wouldn’t be a distraction at all.”

“See,” Phichit interjected, “He doesn’t mind. It’ll give us some time to _not_ think about music for a bit.

_Yeah maybe for you._ Yuuri thought to himself. All ice skating did was remind Yuuri of music so if anything, this would stress him out more. However, everyone’s eyes were on him now and he really didn't care for all the attention so he relented and said, “Aright, if you are sure we wouldn’t be a distraction.”

“This is going to be so cool!” Phichit gushed practically bouncing on the balls of his feet as he stood. “I can’t believe we’re going to see a quad flip performed in person!”

Yuuri tried to push down his feeling of dread as he too stood. 

“I’ll go and grab my keys,” Victor called as the rest of the group moved to the door to search for shoes that had been aimlessly discarded the night before. 

Thankfully, the drive hadn’t been a far one. Victor had driven Yuuri, Otabek and the other Yuri, while Chris had driven Phichit and Minami. Yuuri had tried to convinced Minami to come in Victor’s car after seeing the slightly disappointed look on Phichit’s face, but Minami was too transfixed on taking a drive in Chris’ bright pink convertible to notice.

In Victor’s car, there had been a painfully tense silence between the four of them. Yuri had claimed the shotgun seat, making Otabek and Yuuri sit in the back. Yuuri wasn’t sure why the boy had been so insistent on sitting in the front because he kept turning back to look at Otabek or show him a picture on his phone. Meanwhile, Yuuri was trying not to meet Victor’s eyes in the mirror every time he looked up. Eventually, he resigned to look out the window to see the sights outside, not that there was all that much to see. It was simply the only thing Yuuri could do to keep his heart from beating out of his chest. It could have been his imagination, but he swore he could still feel Victor’s eye on him even after he stopped turned back to check.

The skating rink was a small venue, clearly a little older, but still well taken care of and frequently used. When the walked in, the lady at the front smiled warmly at Victor and Yuri, clearly recognizing the two of them. Yuuri tried to duck his head to avoid being recognized as Victor spoke to the woman briefly in low Russian. 

As they conversed, Yuuri, Minami, Phichit, and Otabek all did their best to slip further into the rink, ushered through the doors by Chris.

“Figured you four would enjoy yourselves more if you had fewer people realizing that they were in the presence of celebrities,” Chris hummed as the entered the rink, the air around them quickly growing colder. 

“Much appreciated,” Otabek replied gratefully.

“Of course,” Chris answered with a nod, “I understand the struggle. People at the rink are now fairly unphased to see me here, but I doubt the same could be said for the lot of you.”

“You would be quite right about that,” Phichit sighed wistfully. “There aren’t many places we can go to in secret these days.”

“Thankfully, the woman at the front desk has eyes for no one but our dear Victor and Yura when they come in. The building could be burning down before her eyes and she wouldn’t even notice if those two are in the room.” Chris chuckled as he guided the group towards some viewing benching near the edge of the rink. “Unfortunately for her, she is quite far from either of their types seeing that she is of the female gender, but neither of them has the heart to break it to her, not even little Yura.”

“Hmm…” Otabek hummed noncommittally as he glanced back towards the doors.

As everyone began to take their seats along the bench, Yuuri wandered closer to the edge of the rink, placing his hands on the chilly barriers to look out over the vast stretch of shiny, untouched ice. He could feel the familiar chill of the rink air penetrating through his skin, ghosting over him like a distant friend who he’d left long ago. 

The ice was so beautiful and yet so daunting. It looked like the ice had recently been resurfaced by the Zamboni or that simply no one had yet brought that first blade to the endless glassy surface. In the back of his mind, music started swirling in his mind again, more distant and jumbled than it had been earlier today, but he could still hear the echo of music though the rink was mostly void of sound. Deep down, Yuuri was reveling in the fact that after months of silence, he was finally starting to hear music flowing through his veins again. His heart was finally trying to reach for sounds again. 

“You know, you could skate too if you’d like,” Victor murmured beside him, making Yuuri startled in the process. _When had he gotten here?_

“Sorry, didn’t mean to catch you off guard,” Victor apologized sincerely.

“N-no no, you’re fine, I was just lost in thought,” Yuuri quickly replied. He didn’t normally let his guard down like that. There were too many fans with unpredictable motives and actions to allow himself to let his guard down. Yet, Victor had just strolled up beside him and Yuuri hadn’t even noticed. 

“Ah,” Victor hummed, looking out the ice with a pensive look on his ice. “The ice is good at doing that to people… leaving you to get lost inside your thoughts.”

Victor was much taller now as Yuuri looked at him. A quick glance down showed that Victor already had his skates and skate guards on. The guards were a light blue color with little poodle head decorating the sides. Yuuri almost wanted to laugh at the ridiculous sight, barely managing to bite his tongue to keep quiet.

“But anyway,” Victor continued, distracting Yuuri from his amusement, “As I said, I could bring you a pair of skates if you’d like.”

“Oh no, I’m fine with watching,” Yuuri quickly protested, waving his hands in front of him as if that would chase the question out of existence. “It’s been years since I stepped onto the ice, I’d probably just slip and embarrass myself.”

“Nonsense,” Victor hummed, turning his head and leaning a little closer to Yuuri. Skating is like riding a bike, you never truly forget how to do it. I could help you if you’d like, Yura does say I am a decent coach.”

“Honestly, I’d much rather see what you can do,” Yuuri insisted. “We’re the ones interrupting your practice. Besides, I can’t risk getting hurt before our show tomorrow.”

At that, Victor seemed to relent, nodding in understanding. Yuuri was kind of relieved, he was already pretty tense from being so close to the ice so he certainly didn’t want to get onto it. He was certain that things would not end well if he stepped onto that slick unforgiving surface.

“Da, I suppose you’re right,” Victor agreed with a resigned sigh. “I just don’t want you to be bored to tears watching us.”

A spark of bravery flashed up Yuuri's spine along with some false charm from his alternate persona as he purred, “I’d suggest you put on a good show for us then.”

Victor’s eyes widened in surprise, caught off guard by Yuuri’s boldness. His cheeks were flushed but Yuuri wasn’t sure if that was due to the chill of the rink or something else.

Victor’s lips parted and he looked ready to say something when a skate guard lurched against Victor’s back, pushing him forward. Yuri, looking grumpy and angsty had kicked Victor in the back with his skate to get his attention as he growled, “Look, we don’t have all day, old man. So, get your ass onto the ice and stop flirting with the audience already.”

“I uh…” Victor spluttered, ducking his head as his cheeks grew even pinker due to something other than the cold. “Right… be sure to watch us Yuuri, we won’t disappoint.”

Then, Victor quickly pulled back and bend down to pull away from his skate guards and took his first smooth glide across the glassy ice, blades cutting into the surface with a pleasing sound. 

Stunned, Yuuri watched as Yuri and Victor slid away from them, gliding across the icy surface like they had been born to skate. Eventually, Yuuri moved back to sit on the bench with the others to watch the two on the ice. 

“So, what are they doing right now?” Phichit asked, watching as Victor and Yuri moved through simple, easy to perform motions.

“That’s just warmup,” Chris explained. “Per Victor’s insistence, they have to go through slow, simple things first to warm up. Our dear Yura likes to rush into things and Vitya doesn’t want him to get hurt so he makes him go through those the first time they get to the ice each day.”

“How long has Yuri been skating for?” Otabek asked curiously.

“Mmm… sorry, darling, I couldn’t tell you the exact amount of time, but it’s been at least two years,” Chris hummed, shrugging apologetically at Otabek. 

As Victor and Yuri continued to warm up, the others chatted lightly, the conversation mostly led by Phichit, Chris and Minami, while Yuuri and Otabek simply listened. 

Eventually, their attention was called back toward the ice by the loud, scraping sound of blades against ice. Yuuri’s head turned just fast enough to see Yuri landing the last half of a double axel. 

“I’m tired of warm-up,” Yuri sneered as he landed cleanly against the glassy surface of the ice. “I want to do jumps now.”

“Show off,” Victor said with a laugh, sliding oh so gracefully across the surface towards Yuri. “But I suppose you’re right though. It’s time we started getting serious.”

“You should run through one of your routines, mon Chéri,” Chris called loudly from his place on the bench. “Both of you.”

“I’m going first,” Yuri immediately proclaimed. “You’ll only make me look bad if you get to show off first.”

Victor ducked his head, relenting easily to Yuri’s request as he skated off towards the edge of the ice. “What routine shall you skate to Yura?” Victor questioned as he pulled out his phone and started to fiddle with it.

“You _know_ which one,” Yura smiled wickedly. Even from this distance, Yuuri could swear that he had just caught a glimpse of a wild tiger lurking beneath Yuri’s skin.

“Of course,” Victor chucked. “Don’t do anything stupid and tell me when you’re ready.”

Yuri quickly skated to the center of the ice and assumed a position that he must use as his opening pose for the routine. He stood with his legs spread, arms by his side and head bowed toward the glimmering icy surface. Then, he gave a slight, barely perceptible nod and the rink [exploded with sound](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GPnLYhnlk), guitars ripped through the chilly air as Yuri came to life on the ice, immediately capturing everyone’s attention.

Yuuri found himself transfixed as Yuri commanded their attention, overactive, exaggerated movements exploding from his body in a way that was hard to ignore. His skates cut deep into the surface of the ice as he flew across its surface like a bat out of hell. Yuuri was on the edge of his seat, as Yuri threw himself into a triple axel, body spinning like a top and hair whipping into his face as he flew through the air. 

At the other end of the bench, Otabek was also captivated, his jaw hung slightly agape as he watched Yuri keep up with the rapid beat of the music. It was clear to anyone watching that Yuri was not a force to be reckoned with. His pent of frustration and anger exploded from him as he zipped across the ice, seemed to throw off imaginary articles of clothing. 

The boy must have a specific outfit in mind for this piece or something already made that he typically wears when performing this routine. As Yuri launched himself into a one-footed spin, Yuuri couldn’t help thinking how different this routine was from the ones he saw in competitions. Normally, skating routines were softer, lighter, more mellow pieces that pulled at the heartstrings. This one, however, got your blood flowing and was designed to have the audience chewing at their nails in anticipation. 

The entire routine seemed to encapsulate Yuri’s obvious strengths as well as placing emphasis on his personality and who he was as an individual. As the song started to draw to a close, Yuuri could tell that the routine was still being worked on. There were certain aspects, jumps, and spins, that even the untrained eye could tell needed work. The routine had to be a newer one for there to still be so much uncertainty. There had been so much confidence at the start but as the music started to crescendo and fall, Yuri also seemed to do so, his steps becoming a little less even and a little less clean. 

None the less, when the routine concluded, Yuri’s back against the surface of the ice, all of them stood, clapping loud enough to make up for twenty people. The routine had been astounding and had required skills that came only from extended practice and training. 

“My,” Chris swooned. “It has been a while since I last saw him perform. He has certainly improved.”

“That was so fucking cool,” Phichit gushed, clutching Chris’ arm and shaking him in excitement. 

Otabek, who had finally picked his jaw up off the floor, simply gave Yuri an approving thumbs-up, which was a pretty significant level of praise coming from Otabek. 

“I still have a lot of fine-tuning to do though,” Yuri huffed breathlessly as he skated toward their side of the rink, his cheeks flushed with excretion.

“Da, some of those jumps were shakier than they should have been,” Victor scolded as he too joined Yuri at the side of the rink. “You can’t push yourself too hard Yuri or you’ll start hurting yourself.”

“Not now, asshole,” Yuri sneered. “I want to look good in front of them for at least a few minutes before you start tearing my routine apart.”

Victor lifted his hands in surrender and said, “Fine, but we still have things we’ll need to work on.”

“Bah, you take all the fun out of it,” Yuri pouted, crossing his arms. “Hurry up and put my routine to shame then.”

“Which routine should I skate to Yura?” Victor asked, pulling out his phone again and appearing to scroll through a long list.

“Give me that,” Yuri griped, swiping Victor’s phone from his grasped and scrolling quickly before stopping and showing the screen to Victor. “You know you want to do this one.”

It could have been his imagination, but he could almost swear that Victor’s cheeks had darkened. His eyes lifted to meet Yuuri’s, a hard-set look of determination shining in his gaze. “Don’t take your eyes off me,” Victor breathed before he spun away to take his stance at the center of the ice.

His position was open, body facing toward them on the ice. The flutter of lashing in Yuri’s direction seemed to be his signal to start the music. 

Yuuri’s heart stuttered in his chest as he recognized the melodic trill of one of his own songs flowing through the speakers. 

[ _Eros_ ](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn77IReyPGU) _._

One of the only instrumental pieces Yuuri had ever released to the public. He hadn’t _wanted_ Eros or its sister song Agape, to be release initially but Phichit had found the audio file that he had created back before they became famous and released it to the public. Once that half had been released, Yuuri had to release the matching piece because he couldn’t stand to leave the melody uncompleted. The songs had gone mostly unviewed to Yuuri’s relief. That is until they made it big, suddenly those pieces were blowing up and people in the comments were gushing over the music which made Yuuri feel small. 

This had been one of the pieces that he had created with ice skating in mind, though he had never told that to anyone. The instrumental pieces had eventually become so popular after their rise to fame that their albums had been named after them Eros and Agape. 

Never in a million years had Yuuri imagined that he’d ever witness anyone performing a skating routine to this piece, yet here he was, hearing his music flowing through the room as Victor licked his lip and twisted his body in such a painfully seductive manor. 

All at once, Yuuri could feel his blood start to rush downwards and he quickly had to adjust himself before anyone noticed just how into the performance he actually was. 

The look of absolute lust and desire on Victor’s face as he changed the positioning of his arms and bit his lips was dirty enough that Yuuri was sure it could even make a man pregnant. When the music kicked into action, so did Victor, his movements, flowing clean and easy, each step was hot enough that it should have melted right through the ice beneath his feet.

As Victor used his skating in place of words, Yuuri couldn’t help thinking that this routine Victor developed fully captured what he had been envisioning as he wrote this melodic piece. Everything was perfect from breathtakingly beautiful the step sequence to the clean, perfectly timed jumps. And throughout it all, Victor still managed to absolutely ooze with lust. 

_With Eros. _

If you looked up that word in the dictionary, Yuuri was sure that he’d simply find a picture of Victor’s sultry expression staring up at him from the page. It should be illegal for someone to possess this much sex appeal. 

Beside him, Phichit was elbowing him, clearly not immune to the enthralling show that Victor was putting on for them. Yuuri had to slap at Phichit’s prodding hands to get him to stop so he could fully place his attention back on the gorgeous man dominating the ice.

Yuuri’s heart was singing with joy and adoration, event as the end of the song drew near. He didn’t want this moment to end. Yuuri felt suspended in the air frozen, like a flurry of snow caught up in a powerful gust of wind. 

When the song ended, Yuuri wanted to cry. It was all too soon. 

Victor’s arms were curled around himself, his leg cocked slightly and his chest heaving as he tried to catch his breath. 

To say the least, Yuuri was starstruck. Up until now, Victor had slowly been growing on him and he had been adjusting to the man’s unique personality, but after watching that performance, something new was stirring in Yuuri’s chest. He was actually a little scared to take a closer look at that feeling because of course, this was all temporary. But still, Victor made him feel things he couldn’t remember feeling in months, maybe even years. 

Before today, Yuuri would have been mortified to know that someone had choreographed a skating routine to one of his musical pieces. Now, however, Yuuri was questioning that. After what Yuuri had just seen out there on the ice, he was starting to question a lot of his life choices, though, he was sure that Victor was the only one who could truly bring his music to life. 

Yuuri’s eyes met with Victor’s out on the ice and he felt his breath catch in his throat. The look in Victor’s eyes made Yuuri feel like he was trying to silently send a message through the air. Instinctively, Yuuri licked his lips and even at this distance, he swore that Victor’s cheeks got just a little bit pinker. 

Then, all at once, the spell was broken as Phichit stood beside him and started clapping loudly. The routine had only ended mere seconds ago, but to Yuuri, it felt like hours. 

Quickly, everyone else began to join in with their clapping and cheers, everyone seems to pull themselves from a trancelike state of mind.

“See, it’s that type of sex appeal that we need in the modeling industry,” Chris called across the Ice as Victor took a quick bow and skated toward the rink wall.

“I’d prefer to share that on the ice rather than on a magazine Chris,” Victor chastised his friend, a knowing smirk on his face. 

“At this rate, I think you might end up melting the ice,” Phichit chortled gleefully. “I see why Yuri got so angry about you downplaying your talent earlier. Did you choreograph the whole thing yourself?”

Victor nodded, ignoring the first half of Phichit’s commentary. “Yep, I’ve been working on it for months and just recently refined it to a place I’m happy with.”

“He did one for that other song as well,” Yuri chimed in. 

“The other one?” Phichit asked curiously.

“Yeah,” Yuri waved his hand absently as he tried to recall the name. “The other half of that song, Agape or something like that.”

“You choreographed something for both halves of my song?” Yuuri gasped, looking at Victor in awe and disbelief.

Victor shrugged nonchalantly and said, “Of course, they’re a pair, right? I couldn’t just choreograph one without the other. I’m still working on that one though.”

“That’s amazing,” Yuuri breathed. He was sure that the second half of the choreography was just as good as the first. Yuuri was itching to see it in person but was afraid to ask and make Victor skate to something he hadn’t fully completed yet. 

“Hey, you still haven’t shown us that quad whatever, Mr. fancy pants,” Chris broke in, his voice playful and teasing, with just a hint of a challenge beneath the words. 

“Oh! Right,” Victor scratched at the back of his head nervously and looked back at the ice behind him. “I suppose I haven’t.”

“You… You don’t have to do it if you’re uncomfortable doing it,” Yuuri added, sensing Victor’s nerves. 

“Pfft, come on old man,” Yuri scoffed. “You’ve already come this far. You might as well show off a little more now.”

“I’m not trying to show off,” Victor huffed, swatting a stray piece of silver hair from his eyes. 

“Ah, whatever, why don’t you do that new piece I keep catching you work on?”

“Which one?” Victor asked, brow furrowing in thought.

“The once with the Quad Flip. That way you’ll get to practice that and show them the move they’re dying to see,” Yuri explained, looking at little exasperated at his mentor’s forgetfulness.

“Ah… that one…” Victor hummed, biting his lip as he did. “I don’t have music for it though. It’s just a piece of an idea.”

“Aren’t you the one who says we can make music with our bodies?” Yuri snapped.

“Mmm… I do have to agree with that one my dear Yurio,” Chris snorted.

“That’s not what I meant and you know it, stop being a nasty, pervert,” Yuri growled, pointing an accusatory finger in Christophe’s direction. Then after a second, Yuri added, “And what the hell did you just call me?”

“Yurio,” Chris said with a shrug. “I need a way to tell apart the two Yuri’s and that seemed fitting. 

“Why do I get the dumb nickname and not him?”

“Cause he’s older,” Chris chortled.

“I hate you so much,” Yuri spat. “I don’t understand why Victor likes you.”

“I need someone to help me find new ways to tease you Yurio,” Victor pipped up, joining in on the camaraderie.

“Just do you stupid jump, asshole or I’ll convince Mila to give you all the shitty shifts next week,” Yuri threatened. 

Victor blinked in surprise, eyes widening in shock as he took in Yuri’s threat.

“You wouldn’t dare,” Victor gasped.

“Try me, bitch,” Yuri retorted, a smug look on his face as he crossed his arms triumphantly.

Victor narrowed his eyes in suspicion but eventually, he gave in and skated back toward the center of the rink. Yuuri had no idea what just happened but he wasn’t completely sure he wanted to know anyway. 

Back in the middle of the ice, Victor looked a little nervous. “So, this isn’t nearly complete, he advised. I’m still working out a lot of the details so just bear with me.”

“Oh, just stop your chatter and do it already,” Yuri groaned, throwing his head back and rolling his eyes in exasperation. 

“Fine,” Victor huffed before closing his eyes and bowing his head, almost as if in prayer. 

Victor stood like that for what seemed like ages, the tension mounting until it was almost palpable in the air around them. Yuuri was sitting on the edge of his seat, the silence making his anxiety mount. He was almost ready to start biting his nails in anticipation when Victor moved, a song seeming to start in his head as he did. His hands lifted before him and continued to rise before parting as he moved across the ice. The way Victor moved was just as beautiful and graceful as the routine before it had been. However, this piece had a different feel to it. The piece wasn’t Eros and it wasn’t Agape, this piece rang out with a different type of love. It brought a tear to Yuuri’s eye as Victor launched into his first jump sooner than he had expected.

As the routine progressed, Yuuri started to hear music playing around him. Yuuri looked around, trying to figure out where the sound was coming from without any luck. No one else seemed to notice the music slowly building as Victor skated. 

The loud scrape of blades against ice brought Yuuri back to the present with a jolt. All at once, he realized why no one else was reacting to the music. The music was just inside his head, playing perfectly in time with Victor’s skating. Yuuri’s heart was pounding in his chest as he realized that this routine fit perfectly with the melodic tune that had been building inside his mind all day. 

All the pieces of the song were falling into place. With each step that Victor took out on the ice, the clearer the song got and the more missing elements fell into place. 

Even in the places where Yuuri could see Victor was questioning portions of the routine or landed a shaky jump, Yuuri saw the potential that this routine held. Yuuri wanted to cry as he watched Victor out on the ice flowing through a beautiful step sequence as the music in his head played. 

Then, as the routine moved towards its crescendo, Yuuri saw what was coming before it happened. He saw the moves that indicated Victor was preparing for a flip, moments before it happened. Yuuri gripped the edge of the bleachers and leaned forward, nearly falling from his seat in the process. 

Then, it happened, Victor launched himself into the air and then _one, two, three, four_. The landing was a bit shaky, but Yuuri barely even noticed. He was too stunned by what he had just seen.

_That was a quad flip._

Yuuri couldn’t believe it. Victor had actually done a quad flip. No one in recorded history had landed one successfully, _yet_ Yuuri had just witnessed a successful quad flip execution with his own eyes. 

Yuuri had to wonder why Victor had never gone pro or how he’d never been scouted in his youth. It would be clear to anyone who knew the sport that Victor was a natural genius. Talented beyond measure and able to shock and surprise anyone.

If Victor had been a professional skater, Yuuri was sure his home would be littered with an endless number of gold medals to show for his amazing, breathtaking routines. 

Yurio hadn’t been joking when he said that Victor could make music with his body.

Victor’s routine came to a close with a spin before landing in his final pose, arm outstretched, reaching for someone invisible before him.

Yuuri had to fight the urge to reach out and meet that hand that was extended toward him. 

“Well I’ll be damned,” Phichit murmured, quietly. “This guy has no end to his surprises.”

“Yeah,” Yuuri said in a hushed voice, watching as Victor’s chest rose and fell in rapid succession with his breaths. 

“That’s a bit of an understatement, dontcha think?” Otabek piped up, surprising Yuuri. He hadn’t expected Otabek to say too much but if he was even mesmerized by the routine, that meant Victor was truly something special. 

“YOU ARE SO COOL!” Minami bellowed, making Yuuri jump as the blissful quiet was broken. Minami continued to chatter off praise as he gushed over the routines they had seen. “I can’t believe you’re able to make jumps like that! It was like you were flying or something! How do you do it?”

“Practice, and a lot of bruises,” Victor chortled good-naturedly.

“How long did it take you? Can you teach me to skate? Wait actually, can you teach me to do jumps like that? What about–”

“Woah, Woah, low down buddy,” Victor rubbed the back of his head uncomfortably as he skated toward the edge of the rink. “I could try to teach you a few things if you’d like.”

“For real?” Minami gushed practically jumping over the rink’s barrier in his excitement. 

“Sure, why not,” he shrugged. “Of course, I can’t today as you’ve got to go soon and you have a show tomorrow, but maybe sometime later in the week if you’re really serious about it.”

“Could I learn the jumps as you do?”

Yurio scoffed and rolled his eyes. Yuuri had to fight back his own irritation for once. Sometimes he forgot that Minami was still only nineteen and had the tendency to still be quite irrational. It seemed that some days, Minami acted as if he was still only sixteen years old. 

“It would take some time,” Victor warned. “I certainly wouldn’t be teaching you them on the first day–”

“Or the first two months even,” Yurio cut in. “Victor wouldn’t let me do jumps for the first four months. Even then I was only allowed to do singles or doubles. He’s only recently started teaching me to do triples.”

“Oh…” Minami seemed to deflate a little at that.

“Well, you have to think,” Otabek cut in. “Victor didn’t learn to skate like that overnight. Just like you didn’t learn to dance or play music overnight. It takes practice, work, and time.”

“See, he gets it,” Yurio agreed, jutting a thumb back at Otabek.

Minami sighed dramatically. “Yeah, I suppose so. It just looks so cool though.”

“That quad flip was pretty phenomenal,” Yuuri murmured, his lips moving before he made the conscious decision to do so. 

“You think so?” Victor asked, seemed to brighten a little more at Yuuri’s praise.

“Of course,” Yuuri affirmed. “I’ve never even heard of anyone landing it before today. On top of that, your skating is just so beautiful.”

In his head, Yuuri could still hear the song Victor had been skating too. His hands were itching to write out the melody and play the tune out loud.

“Well thank you Yuuri,” Victor hummed, bowing his head a little, “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”

“You ready to keep skating now that you’ve completely outshined me, old man?” Yurio interjected. 

“I thought you did quite well to Yurio,” Yuuri added, giving the blond a gentle smile.

“That’s not my name,” was his sneered response.

“I have to agree,” Otabek added. “You’re skating was so different, and that’s what made it enjoyable.”

Yurio blushed, still trying to sneer but failing miserably as he mumbled a quiet, “Thanks.”

Then he turned quickly, grabbing Victor’s arm and dragging the man easily back across the ice. “Time for you to actually be a coach and teach me stuff.”

Yuuri couldn’t help giggling at that, watching as Victor was pulled backward away from them by the feisty blond tiger. 

Much too soon, Otabek was checking his watch and letting them know that it was time for them to start heading back to the hotel to meet up with Celestino. 

“You know, we can all fit in Chris’ car,” Minami pipped up as Victor and Yuri slipped on skate guards and stepped off the ice. “We can go ahead and just ride back to the hotel with Chris so you all can keep on skating.”

“Oh no, you–” Victor spoke up trying to protest as Yurio said broke in and said, “Yeah that would be fine, right Victor? We still have a lot to work on, right?”

Victor faltered, looking first from Yurio, then to Yuuri and then Minami. He looked like he was at a loss for words. With a shock, Yuuri realized that he wanted Victor to still drive him back. He wasn’t sure what the hell was going through Minami’s mind right now but Yuuri kind of wanted to smack him and he wasn’t a violent person. Yuuri wanted to say something, but if he did, it would just make things awkward and like he was putting more of a burden on Victor and Yurio.

Chris eventually spoke up, breaking the tense silence that seemed to have settled in the air. “Yeah, I mean, that’s fine with me if it works for everyone else as well.”

“Uh yeah that’s fine,” Phichit mumbled, looking guiltily between Yuuri and Victor as he did. “As long as we get back to the hotel, right?”

“Sure… works for me,” Otabek chimed in reluctantly. 

“Right then, well we should go ahead and get going then,” Chris hummed, turning almost reluctantly towards the doors of the rink as he did. Yuuri almost through that Victor and Chris exchanged a look before the rest of the band started to follow after Chris. 

“I’ll go distracted whoever's at the front so you lot can slip by unnoticed,” Yurio groused, slinking after Chris.

“Hey, Yuuri,” Victor murmured just low enough for Yuuri’s ears. He had reached out toward Yuuri as if to stop him from leaving, but he stopped mid-motion. “Do you have a minute?”

“Yeah, of course,” Yuuri nodded, turned more fully to face Victor.

Behind them, there was a soft ‘thunk’ sound, followed by Minami’s cry of “Hey! What was that for Phichit?” 

Yuuri glanced over his shoulder briefly to see Minami rubbing the back of his head and glaring up at Phichit.

“So uh,” Victor started, drawing Yuuri’s attention again. “Here –” Victor was grasping for Yuuri’s hand and pressing something into his palm– “If you still want me to come to your show tomorrow night, just call or text me and lemme know.” Victor chewed on his lips as the ‘_I need you to give me a reason why you want me there’ _was left unsaid. 

Yuuri looked down at the place where their hands were joined. The warmth that radiated from Victor’s palms was unlike anything he had ever felt before. It was like fire and ice all bound into once and Yuuri never wanted it to end. He could feel that icy hot feeling creeping up his arm and sneaking into his chest, wrapping around his heart and sucking him in. Yuuri wished that whatever _this_ was could just be easy and simple. 

After what he saw and felt today around Victor, Yuuri wanted to beg him not to leave. He wanted to convince him to stay right here by his side, but he knew that they had to go. The band was waiting on him, the had rehearsals and sound checks to do before tomorrow night’s show. Yuuri could still hear that melody humming in his head, beating against the inside of his skull and begging him to be released. Victor’s routine had solidified the song that had been teasing him airily since meeting this extraordinary man. 

Despite everything Yuuri was feeling, he knew that right now, he was still far from being able to formulate the words that Victor wanted to hear. He didn’t know why he wanted Victor to come to the show. He didn’t know what to say to convince him to come or to persuade him to stay. There was still something deep inside that was holding him back, tying his words into knots and making his feet stick to the floor. He just didn’t know how to overcome the barrier that seemed to be standing before him.

The only thing Yuri knew was that the time spent hanging out with Victor, Yurio, and Chris had reminded Yuuri how to have fun again. They had made him remember the feeling of going out in public without worrying about being ambushed by fans and without the exhaustion of being treated like a celebrity. Not once had Victor made Yuuri feel like he was only being nice because of his fame. All the emotions that Victor had displayed up to this point had felt real and genuine. Yuuri felt more alive than he had in four long years and that was all thanks to one very unique blue-eyed, silver-haired hotel receptionist. 

Reluctantly, he pulled his hand away, closing his finger around a slip of paper that Yuuri guessed had Victor’s number written on it. He nodded silently at Victor, confirming that he understood the meaning without saying anything. Yuuri only hoped that he could find the words that needed to be said before it was too late before he lost Victor forever.

As Yuuri stepped back towards the rink door, Victor smiled at him. It was a small, sad smile and it broke Yuuri’s heart. He wanted to run back to Victor and kiss that smile, take away the pain and turn it into a real, smile, but he knew that he couldn’t. Not yet…

Not yet.

_Not yet._

The car ride back to the hotel zipped by in a blur. Yuuri wasn’t even aware of the harsh scolding Minami was receiving from both Otabek, Phichit _and _Chris the whole way back. He didn’t notice the way that Chris kept looking at him in the mirror or the intrigued glanced Phichit kept throwing him. 

As soon as Yuuri got back to his room, he grabbed his songbook and began writing furiously. Even as Phichit dragged him from the room to _another_ car that wasn’t nearly as lavish as Chris’, Yuuri kept his nose buried in his book. If asked, Yuuri wouldn’t have even been able to tell you the color of the car, much less how long the drive to rehearsals was. 

Yuuri was so absorbed that he missed the warm, triumphant look that Phichit eventually gave him as they were escorted off towards their concert venue. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Translations:  
mon Chéri – My Dear 
> 
> Music: 
> 
> Welcome to the Madness - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B0GPnLYhnlk  
On Love: Eros - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qn77IReyPGU
> 
> (Come on y'all, I just had to include music, like how can I write a boyband AU without incorporating music???)

**Author's Note:**

> Translations:  
* O Bože – Oh God  
* Merci – Thank You
> 
> <strike>\- Chapters will update every Sunday -</strike> I promise this story hasn't been forgotten. Thanks to my Uni classes being extra, I've had less time to work on this than desired so updates will be a little sporadic for now


End file.
